


Itty Bitty Conflicts

by AngryDeliveryDriver



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Companionship, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Mentions of Bitty Death, No Romance, Tags Are Not Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-01-16 08:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18518122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngryDeliveryDriver/pseuds/AngryDeliveryDriver
Summary: After 2 long years following the untimely death of her older sister's beloved bitty, Samantha decides that it's time for her sister to try and move on by adopting another one.One problem is that a particular bitty is hellbent on getting adopted as well, and then that one problem escalates into many more.





	1. Moving On

**Author's Note:**

> I have a tendency to write long chapters and it took me 2 weeks to work up the courage to share this. Only after putting everything into the editor did I notice how...bare my story looked.
> 
> Either way, I hope you don't mind this writing style I have and also enjoy the story. I can't promise I'll be able to update multiple times a week, but I can definitely promise that no chapter will be below 4,500 words.
> 
> One thing I hope isn't a problem in this chapter is the lack of visual descriptions of the sisters and a few other things. This will be fixed in the second chapter, but don't be surprised if other details are just...simple or bland or just bad in general. I'm not good at details nor am I good at writing but hey, here I am. 
> 
> I also really love line breaks, apparently.
> 
> Any constructive criticism is appreciated~

* * *

 

"It's been 2 years."

 

The silent but consistent _clickclack_ of the keyboard continued with no indication of stopping or slowing down to focus attention on the current topic.

 

"I really think you're ready to move on from what happened. We all know you loved PipPap but-"

 

Her voice paused for a moment when the typing also stopped. Some small amount of silence passed between the two before she continued.

 

"You never leave the house. At least consider it for whenever I go out of town? I hate thinking about leaving you alone all of the time."

 

A harsh sigh came from behind the computer monitor, the owner gripping a side of the desk to pull their chair sideways in order to give themselves a better viewpoint for staring flatly. "I don’t want another bitty, Sam. Drop it." her sister replied snappishly before sliding back to hide behind the monitor and return to typing.

 

"Zackery..."

 

"I said **_no_ **."

 

"Please just promise you'll consider it?"

 

She flinched when the typing stopped with the sound of a loud slam of hands onto the desk ripping through the room. Zackery glowered, her eyes slowly rising over the top of the monitor to give her sister the meanest look that could be mustered at the moment. There was no reason to be nice, there was no reason to consider anything, and there definitely was no reason for any promises when it came to the painful memories of Zackery's first (and last she swore to herself) bitty that had been forced into her life by the happiest of accidents. This topic was becoming more and more frequent over the past few weeks despite her obvious dislike of it. Every time PipPap was even hinted at, the memories threatened to bring a wave of tears soon after.

 

"I'm not asking you to replace or forget about him, but he would have wanted you to be happy. You're not. What do you think he would say about you right now?"

 

"That's **not fair**."

 

"What do you think he would say?"

 

The angry and hateful gaze disappeared behind the monitor with a _fwump_ from Zackery dropping back into her chair, however this time the typing didn't return.

 

"Please consider it?"

 

* * *

 

That touchy subject was last brought up months ago; Zackery was quick to shut down and refuse any further responses or feedback forcing her sister to leave the room with that a saddened look on her face. So now it was time for Sam to bring out the last resort.

 

She was going to get Zackery a bitty as a birthday gift despite knowing for a fact it wasn't going to be easy.

 

Firstly, bitties where she lived only came from a foster program that the store financed. While it definitely cut the cost of the bitty itself, the store was far more strict on the adoption process and some of the bitties either required special needs or a few visits before being allowed to leave with a new owner. This means Sam wouldn't be able to just take one home without seeing if it got along with her sister.

 

Secondly, the whole point of getting a bitty was the companionship for her older sister. PipPap had been a huge factor in Zackery's willingness to even step foot outside or speak to other people outside of work or at home so it wasn't a surprise that she completely changed after the bitty's death. It was heartbreaking to see her sibling do a complete 180 and evade any sort of socialization... so it was highly likely that after bringing home a new bitty, Zackery would be unwilling to interact with it. That would completely defeat the point of this process despite Sam knowing she could just have the bitty for herself. This was the worst case scenario…

 

But she had hope!

 

And finally, there was no doubt Zackery knew what Sam was planning. Between the pleading, extra shifts, constant yard sales, and blanket commissions the youngest sibling had stressed herself out to get any sort of extra income she could to save for a bitty. Even with the lower price for adoption, they were still very expensive and Zackery wasn't stupid; she'd have noticed what was going on by now.

 

Especially considering Zackery had done it all before in order to afford PipPap's adoption fee; so the suspicion in her voice, when asked to go 'grocery shopping' for her birthday, was evident.

 

"You need me-"

 

"Yes."

 

"To go with you-"

 

"Yes."

 

"So you can buy food for a birthday dinner."

 

"... yes."

 

A crossing of the arms, all weight shifted on to one side and a look of disapproval let her know that Zackery didn’t believe her.

 

Perfect.

 

"And that's all we are going to do." was the flat statement. It was devoid of any sort of accusatory tone that Sam was expecting.

 

Then Sam did her damnedest to avoid the question and ended up adding an entire list of things that needed to be taken care of; grocery shopping was the main point but there was also a few stops for yarn she needed, various sewing supplies, fabric, storage containers and the like. It was mentioned that grocery shopping would happen last for sure with a mental note from Sam that the bitty would be chosen first. The only issue currently was that her sister had such a blank look that there was uncertainty on whether or not Zackery would even get into the car.

 

With a bubble of hope in her chest, Sam moved towards the door, grabbing her keys before turning to see if she was being followed.

 

Which she wasn't.

 

Sam looked over her shoulder and opened her mouth but was cut off immediately.

 

“I’m not _ready_ …” Came a pitiful sound in Zackery’s voice that she hadn’t heard in so long. Her older sister stood there, wringing her hands and staring over to the fireplace mantle. It was covered in an array of pictures and Sam knew which one had her sibling’s attention.

 

A lot of people who didn’t understand how much a bitty could mean to someone would just brush it off.

 

They would never understand or care to.

 

PipPap was Zackery’s best friend, companion and the best thing that had ever happened to her life. That lone bitty was the reason why the woman had changed; went from jobless to working her way up to a job she loved, why _friends_ even became a word in her dictionary, a hand that pulled her out of the darkest spots of her depression and get help for it. Sam had almost been jealous that PipPap had done so much more than Sam ever could.

 

But that was more than fine.

 

An Undertale Papyrus bitty was more or less considered the kind of gift you’d give a child to help them through school. To socialize, make friends, explore new things about themselves and pursue what they loved to do with their lives. Sadly, that was one of the main reasons why a lot of them ended up in foster care and rehomed constantly. And the saddest part is that the bitties themselves, while hurt, made it evident that they were happy whenever their owners turned them in saying they could no longer care for them. They were _happy_ . All they wanted was the owner's _happiness_ . It was an endless loop that bitty owners knew to be cruel; the Papyrus would be bought or adopted, make their owners who they are and then be turned in to find a new family and find them almost immediately only for the loop to start all over again. So when Sam had seen her sister bond with PipPap she _knew,_ that for that particular bitty, the loop would never happen again.

 

That’s what made the bitty’s untimely and unfair death hit harder than ever.

 

The younger sibling slowly approached Zackery, enveloping her into a hug so tight it was hard to breathe.

 

“Just come with me to take a look at them, that’s all I ask…after that I won’t ask ever again until you mention it. Okay?”

 

A rumble was felt more than heard when Zackery made a defeated noise.

 

“I won’t force you to go into the store, either. We can sit in the parking lot until you decide for sure.”

 

* * *

 

Samantha felt a slight daze as she stepped into the store named ‘Itty Bitty’, her older sister casually leading the way albeit slowly.

 

As soon as the car had been turned off there was no hesitation. No second guessing, no last-minute cries, no need of comfort or support. Just a quick open and close of the door and Zackery walking away on her own. It was strange to see considering how conflicted she must have been feeling, but Sam was accepting it, willing to see where this went.

 

The first thing she noticed after entering the store was it being quieter than she had expected; a staff member near the door greeted them cheerfully with their voice contrasting greatly to the quieter background.

 

“Welcome to Itty Bitty! Is there anything I can help you with?” She asked in a practiced tone. Zackery immediately made herself scarce by wandering down an aisle and disappearing, much to Sam’s dismay.

 

“We’re actually wanting to take a look at the bitties you have for possible adoption.” Samantha replied. The staff member nodded, her smile brightening more while motioning with a hand down towards the center of the store. “If you just head straight you’ll be able to see them! The handler is more familiar with each individual bitty and their specific needs so feel free to ask them for any information you need!”

 

A nod and thanks was given before Sam moved away to follow Zackery as she disappeared behind another aisle. It took some effort but she’d finally managed to corral her older sibling back into the central aisle of the store and towards where the bitties were being cared for. She knew there were thoughts driving the eldest and distracting her; it was apparent by the blank empty stare that was directed at the passing contents of the store. _Should I say anything?_ Was the constant thought ringing through the youngest’s mind. The closer they got to the center of the store, the more she could hear her sister’s shoes drag onto the floor with each step.

 

The central area of the store was sectioned off with lines of the floor, a sign indicating that they were now entering the ‘Bitty Zone’ where children were only allowed to enter if a staff member escorted them with their parent. A large box-like table sat in the immediate center of the area, a glass-like box surrounding the edges with the top left open. Sam mused that it reminded her of some display cases that she’d seen the tiny museum where Zackery worked.

 

And a quick movement inside of the display distracted her.

 

She focused her attention on the bitties she saw; it looked like an Undertale Papyrus bitty was being chased around, clutching a rubber ball in its arms away from what seemed like a small army of Underswap Sans bitties. The simplistic outfits of white shirts and black pants seemed to be the store’s preferred way of dressing them from what she could tell after a quick glance through the other display cases surrounding the central one.

 

“I’m _so_ sorry about them.” A voice said near her, and she nearly tripped while turning to face the owner. It was a man with such a gentle smile on his face that Sam had instantly forgiven him from scaring her. “Those guys can get a little rambunctious around this time of day.”

 

Samantha took a moment to register his words and doing her best to ignore the sound of a startled yelp followed by multiple thumps in the display behind her. The man let out a chuckle and held out a hand to her. “I’m Chance, the Bitty Handler for this store. What can I help you with? Or are you just looking for now?”

 

“My name’s Sam, and I’m actually hoping to adopt.” She replied, taking his hand and firmly gripping it. “I have some specifics but don’t really know exactly which bitty would be good for my….sister?” A quick hand motion to the empty space beside her and her trailing sentence left Sam confused.

 

Zackery had disappeared from beside her and Sam hadn’t even noticed.

 

Chance even seemed confused as well, following Sam’s eyes as she looked around the area before spotting a woman with an orange bandana standing in front of one of the bitty enclosures. She was staring intently with wide curious eyes at a bitty that the store had labeled as ‘Orange’, an Underswap Papyrus, and it stared right back at her with crossed arms and one of those lazy brows raised.

 

“I’m guessing that’s her?” He asked after hearing a sigh of relief from the youngest.

 

“Yes, that’s her.” A moment of silence passed as Sam watched her sister cautiously, looking for any signs that she might just bolt out of the store.

 

But there were no such signs. In fact, her sister seemed content with just staring at the bitty in front of her.

 

“She had a bitty before but it was…killed 2 years ago,” Sam mentioned to Chance, lowering her voice a bit so as to not grab her sister’s attention. Chance leaned in closer to make sure he didn’t miss any of her words

 

If he was going to help them adopt a new bitty, he would need to know all of the details…

 

And this story already put a knot in his stomach from how familiar it was…

 

“Someone with a Bitty Custom tried taking him from her. Cornered her, harassed her, threatened her…”

 

Sam swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she remembered her sister’s sobbing that lasted for what felt like weeks.

 

“I didn’t witness it but the whole thing was caught on a security camera from the store she’d walked out of. They tried taking her bitty and she retaliated…got hurt pretty badly because of it.”

 

“ **_Tried_ ** taking it?” Chance asked, his attention temporarily switched to the women when he saw her cross her arms and move away from Orange’s enclosure, almost cautiously.

 

“He fought back for her and managed to get someone’s attention for help...but the guy who tried to take him didn’t like that at all and just threw him in anger. It was hard enough to dust him.”

 

“I’m so sorry for the loss.” Chance immediately responded when he heard her voice crack on the last detail, and it made him angry inside. It sounded to him like her sister cared for her bitty and to have it taken away from her with such cruelty…

 

His smile faltered when he didn’t get a response but was startled when the older sibling all but bolted towards them.

 

* * *

 

Zackery did her best to stay focused on the task at hand.

 

Just browse, that’s all.

 

She wasn’t expected to make any sort of connection to a bitty, nor was she expected to even take one home or start the adoption process.

 

It was a strange feeling to go through the motions as she waited for her sister to finish speaking with the Handler, patiently wandering through and looking at each display of bitties they had. One, in particular, had her staring at it with such curiosity that she could tell it was feeling uncomfortable.

 

_Why is this one by itself? Aren’t Underswaps usually housed together?_

 

“Hi.” It responded in a tone she identified as boredom and stared back at her. “You need somethin’?”

 

_There isn’t a sign that says it’s a single-bitty household adoption…_

 

“You a mute?”

 

_Maybe it just doesn’t get along with others or is new to this store?_

 

“Do I have somethin’ on my face?”

 

She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she’d missed the bitty huff irritably and cross its arms.

 

“Or I’m familiar lookin’ to you?”

 

That definitely caught her attention.

 

He saw a shift of emotion in the woman’s eyes and she moved away from the enclosure while crossing her arms. When she started to walk away he’d only gave a half-hearted shrug.

 

 **_A pain in her chest was starting to appear alongside a sting in her throat_ **.

 

_Tap tap tap...tap tap tap…_

 

 **_She needed something familiar and_ ** **_fast_ ** **_before she lost her bravado._ **

 

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap…._

 

The insistent tapping noise only made Zackery grip her arms painfully, turning the skin red around her fingers. Any tighter and the skin would bruise for sure. It was distracting her from being able to look through the other bitty enclosures.

 

**_TAP TAP TAP_ **

 

The tapping noise was so loud and aggressive, she jumped, quickly darting away from the source towards her sister. She could see the worry in those eyes as she took her place on the other side of Sam, her hands snapping forward and snatching her younger sister’s hand to grip it tightly. “I need some air... _please_.”

 

And immediately, Sam began to pull Zackery towards the store entrance with Chance following, making sure to give them some distance.

 

* * *

 

“Leslie, could you grab me a water bottle from the break room?” Chance asked a coworker after walking back inside the store. The sisters were sitting on a bench outside; one was clinging to the other tightly while the other rubbed their back. He had gone out originally to make sure everything had been fine but decided not to intervene. It was better to just sit back and let them deal with what had happened.

 

A few moments of watching them had passed when his coworker had returned, a look of uncertainty on her face.

 

“Did you know that the HT custom was awake? Isn’t it a bit…early?” She whispered quietly, looking over her shoulder as if she was scared someone would come up behind her when they weren’t looking. Chance only raised an eyebrow after taking the water bottle from her.

 

“He usually wakes up around this time I think.” He replied while taking a quick glance at the clock. “Oh...wait you’re right. It’s really early.”

 

“And it won’t stop tapping on the glass. Could you go see what it wants? I’ll wait here for those two until you can get back.”

 

Chance let out a low whistle, his eyebrows still up in surprise after realizing just how early the bitty had woken up. It never bothered being awake until later in the evening, usually around when the store closed around 8 PM, always quite irritable if woken up before then.

 

Yet was currently 10 AM.

 

“He does that sometimes, it’s fine.” He responded easily and gave Leslie’s shoulder a comforting pat. “Don’t worry about it too much, I’ll check on him in a bit. First I’m going to see if those ladies need anything else.”

 

Without waiting for her to say anything back, he walked back out through the storefront and approached the bench slowly while holding out the water bottle.

 

It didn’t look like the older sister had been crying but there was definitely _something_ going on in that mind as her eyes snapped up and focused on him.

 

 _Pain_. Something he recognized easily from other bitty owners who had had the same thing happen to them. The world of bitties could be cruel, something a lot of new owners don’t realize. It has a lot of dangers if you weren’t careful.

 

“Thanks…” The older sister croaked out, taking the bottle and chugging half of it in one go. “I’m sorry. I really am sorry.” she repeated a few times only to be silenced by Chance interrupting her apologies.

 

“You don’t need to be sorry. Believe it or not, you’re not the first person to have something like this happen…” He paused for a second when she found an interesting spot on the ground to stare at. “It’s not an easy thing to do or go through. Are you sure you want to have a new bitty?”

 

Sam could hear the softness and care in his voice, continuing to rub Zackery’s back slowly while looking at Chance to give him the most thankful look she could muster. She felt useless and was more than happy to have his help. Her thoughts focused on her sister when she felt Zackery take in a large breath.

 

“I’m sure. I just...needed a moment.” She told him quietly.

 

“And that’s perfectly fine. I already have one in mind for you, if you’re _absolutely_ sure. You can even take him home today depending, though I have a feeling you two will get along great.”

 

The tension Sam had felt before all but lifted from her shoulders when Zackery shot up from the bench, spooking Chance into moving away from her a slight step. Her face was fixed into a look of determination.

 

“Let’s do it.”

 

* * *

 

And that’s how Zackery ended up back inside the store, standing just outside the Bitty Zone as Chance moved towards an enclosure with his keys and Sam following him to ask a few more questions. Funnily enough, the bitty he selected was the same bitty the older sister had been staring at earlier. Orange was just as surprised when the door was opened and Chance held a hand out to him. The bitty cautiously stood there for a second before nodding, letting chance pick up then place him in Sam’s waiting hands.

 

“I’ll go and get the paperwork started. You can go take him to pick out some clothes or let him pick...whichever.”

 

Samantha giddily nodded, smiling when Orange seemed right at home with being held, even happily stating he loved free clothes. Once Chance had wandered away she lifted the bitty closer to her face to look him over.

 

_Tap tap tap…_

 

“That your sis?”

 

“Yeah, sorry if she was staring earlier. I don’t even know what was going through her mind.”

 

“Was wonderin’ what she was doin’. But I guess I can live with that.”

 

_Tap tap tap tap tap tap…_

 

Sam straightened herself out, holding Orange more closely to her before turning to find out where that insistent tapping was coming from. It only took a moment but her eyes rested on the enclosure farthest from the others where there was...a bitty type she had never seen before.

 

Definitely a Sans, judging by the body and face shape, but the skull had… a rather nasty looking hole in it, its right eye-socket blank and empty. The other socket had an iris that wasn’t the usual comforting white in other bitties she’d seen; it was a near-sickening red.

 

And it was staring at Zackery.

 

It had its forehead pressed against the glass, eye focused and finger tapping away as if trying to get her attention. The permanent smile that Sans types were known for seemed to twitch erratically, its focus never wavering as it watched the older sister with all of its attention. Sam was about to go over to get a closer look at the bitty when tapping on her hand pulled her thoughts away to focus on Orange.

 

He was staring at the bitty as well.  
  
“I wouldn’t go _near_ that if I were you.”

 

“What’s it doing?”

 

“Never seen it do that before, but it likes scarin’ people.”

 

_A creepy bitty that likes scaring people? Not my cup of tea._

 

The youngest sibling decided then that it was a good idea to head back to Zackery and moved, noticing the bitties glass-tapping become more insistent when she blocked its view of her sister.

 

Making sure not to seem _too_ excited, Sam held Orange out expectantly to Zackery and practically radiated happiness. Her plan was going far better than expected; there was no way she’d let her sister back out now.

 

“Oh.”

 

Not the response she’d been expecting.

 

Zackery raised an eyebrow, the bitty doing the same and they stared at each other once again.

 

“Miss me?” Orange piped up, his voice causing the woman in front of him to blink slowly. When she didn’t respond he only shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, me too.”

 

“Zackery don’t be rude!” Sam cut in, nudging her hands closer to the older sibling. This was the part she’d been worried about; her sister had _claimed_ she was ready but there wasn’t any interest in those eyes anymore. More or less just curiosity and hesitance.

 

The older sister squinted, opening her mouth to say something and was immediately cut off when Samantha all but shoved Orange against her sister’s chest then...dropped him. There was a startled cry and a hiss of Sam’s name after Zackery’s hands rushed up to catch the bitty before he fell; he didn’t seem too bothered at least, relaxing into the older sibling’s hands with a content sigh. “There, see? That wasn’t so bad. Now let’s go get some clothes and other things picked out for him before Chance gets back.

 

Ignoring the blanch from her sister, Samantha set off down one of the aisles with a skip in her step.

 

* * *

 

It had taken nearly an hour to sign the paperwork; Chance was more than thankful that he’d offered to do it at the office rather than the register. Most of the process was for legalities but also agreements that the bitty they were adopting _did_ have a special need and they were still willing to adopt. Chance was delighted to see that Orange seemed right at home with Zackery, the bitty having practically melted against her hands and (seemingly) fell asleep without a care in the world.

 

Once the final form was signed, Chance smiled. “And that takes care of that!  After the first week passes, however, you'll need to bring him in for a checkup. Then we’ll finalize the adoption.”

 

“That’s when we’ll get the supplements you mentioned, right?” Samantha asked, watching Zackery nudge Orange’s cheek with her finger. She almost missed the quiet giggle when the bitty swapped at the finger.

 

He nodded. “Yes. He should be fine without them for now, but if he says he isn’t feeling right or seems ill you should bring him back as soon as possible.”

 

Zackery nodded in affirmation then continued poking Orange. “I’ll name him after, then.” She promised before quickly adding, “if he wants a new name, that is.”

 

“Maybe.” The bitty replied in drawled out tone, earning a laugh from Sam who then focused her attention back to Chance.

 

They both spoke for a while longer, Sam asking questions and Chance responding with ease. Both of them would sneak glances every now and then to see Zackery and Orange getting along just fine; the older sibling would poke at the bitty and the bitty would swat at the finger with little effort. Closer to the end of Sam’s list of questions, Orange had given up altogether and let the finger nudge against his cheek lightly.

 

Sam finished her questions, standing up with Chance to shake his hand. Zackery stood as well but more eagerly turned and headed for the door.

 

She seemed to have a pep in her step that had her younger sister’s cheeks hurting with how much smiling had been stuck on her face. The interactions between her sister and the bitty were familiar; Sam knew that her sister would be fine now.

 

They all wandered out of the office, the sisters giving Chance many thanks yous. He’d only given them his gentle smile and gave them a final wave until the store doors closed behind them.

 

All was silent again.

 

Until a loud slam of something hitting glass rang throughout the store, causing Chance to jump. Before he could even register the sound, it happened again.

 

Only this time it was followed by glass shattering and a startled scream coming from the Bitty Zone. He ran for the area immediately, meeting up with other coworkers who had heard the noise.

 

Leslie was standing next to the enclosure that was farthest away from the others, a look of pure fear stuck onto her face as her eyes were welled up with unfallen tears. She had her hands up in a surrendering pose as the last loose bits of glass fell to the floor near her feet. One of the others rushed to her quickly, pulling her away while Chance approached the cause of the broken enclosure.

 

The bitty turned its head to him, its mouth twitching upwards in such a twisted smile that he’d never seen before. A dark mark on its forehead with trails of dust falling from it confirmed how the glass had been shattered in the first place.

 

“Done ignorin’ me now?” The bitty’s voice bit out angrily, causing the other coworkers to move away slowly. Chance nodded before swallowing the hard lump forming in his throat. “Been tryin’ to get _someone’s_ attention all damn day.”

 

“Sorry, I was handling an adoption.” Chance replied, motioning to the others to leave the area. They obliged eagerly.

 

“Somethin’ I wasn’t _involved_ in.”

 

“It wasn’t for your adoption.”

 

“Don’t care. Get ‘er back here.”

 

“E-Excuse me?” Chance stuttered out quickly before recomposing himself? Was this bitty actually…?

 

“You heard me.” It growled back at him, that smile stretching wider than before. “I’m goin’ home with that human. An’ if I don’t…”

 

The bitty fully turned to face Chance, that sickening smile nearly twisting into the empty sockets that stared at him.

  
“You’re gonna have a **m i s e r a b l e** week.”


	2. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They grow closer and get angry together.
> 
> This is not how adopting bitties is supposed to work.

* * *

 

Chance was definitely miserable. If possible, he would find another word that described it and multiplied it by some unreasonable number.

 

Let's go with 1,967 times.

 

All throughout the week, the bitty they’d known as ‘HT Custom’ made his life as difficult as possible after telling it that it couldn’t have been adopted out with the woman that left with Orange. Multiple times he’d have to remind it of its own special needs, making it only scoff then proceed to give Chance the hottest of glares for the rest of the day. The worst part of the entire situation was that it also became very unreasonable and uncooperative; the bitty wasn’t eating, wouldn’t allow Chance to handle it, wasn’t getting enough sleep and even worse…

 

It was refusing its supplements.

 

That alone was enough to keep the entire work staff on edge. Most of them had come to Chance practically begging him to go to management and start the transfer process for the custom. But those pleas were quickly shot down.

 

“Give me another day to see if I can calm him down.” He’d reply; soon enough more than a few days had gone by, each one adding to the stressful situation that eventually led to Chance giving up and going to the GM for help, which was the last thing he had been wanting to do. Things between him and upper management were already tense considering he was the only one willing to care for the bitty, being the reason the store even had it in the first place. The reluctance was warranted given the bitty’s origins.

 

So when Chance meekly knocked on the door before letting himself in, the GM was already assuming the worst.

 

“Manny, I need to talk to you about a situation that’s come up...I don’t know how to handle it.”

 

A raised eyebrow was the only response received before sitting himself across from the desk, clenching his hands together and avoiding eye contact.

 

“The HT custom is causing a few problems.”

 

Silence. He was feeling nervous.

 

“It’s not eating or taking supplements and getting aggressive again. It’s angry that we didn’t adopt it out to those ladies who took Orange home...like… **_seriously_ ** angry. What should I do about it?”

 

“You told me you would be able to keep it under control, Chance,” Manny replied lightly, catching him by surprise. His voice wasn’t angry or accusing. More disappointed, if anything. It made Chance even more nervous and his palms clammy. “we had an agreement that you’d prevent it from regressing back to this behavior. Now it’s dangerous again, putting all current staff in an unsafe environment.”

 

“I’m sorry...but I just couldn’t tell it that we’d adopt it out. You know it’d dust Orange and cause more grief for that family than it needs.”

 

“Is that all that it wants?”

 

“As far as I know, it just wanted to go home with them. I didn’t ask anything else.”

 

Manny’s thoughtful hum combined with a consistent pen tapping on the desk made Chance far more nervous, the minutes ticking by with no other words said until a sound of a _tsk_ was heard.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think something like this would happen. It was doing so well and even cooperating when it came time for supplements that I just thought I could have gotten the situation under control before it got this bad!”

 

“And yet here we are.”

 

Chance visibly flinched at the response, moving his attention from his hands to Manny’s face. The usually kind eyes were stern, the always gentle face held a slight frown and the common friendly air was replaced with a professionalism that Chance had never felt before. It was odd to him, yet considering why they were here it made sense to him.

 

“I know you have a kind heart, and I get that you want to help any bitty that you can...but this time I just feel like my kindness was taken advantage of to bring in something that was far too great of a risk. Now, please bring the HT in here so we can further discuss what’s going on and find a solution. _Quickly_.”

 

* * *

 

Sam almost felt the need to go to the doctor several times over the past week. Her heart was practically melting whenever she’d bring her sister dinner or pop into her room to check on Orange, at least to make sure the bitty was comfortable and her sister wasn’t neglecting or ignoring him.

 

The younger sibling felt he really _was_ a perfect fit for Zackery despite the older sibling not giving him as much attention as Sam had hoped.

 

On more than one occasion, the bitty would try to strike up a conversation, making responses despite the silent stare Zackery would give him. Other than a nod here or there, she never actually spoke to him unless spoken to. Even though the conversations were almost completely one-sided, Orange had made it very clear to Samantha that he was happy; there was food, a warm pillow (yet he mostly chose to lounge against Zackery’s arm while she was on the computer), warm bathing water and he couldn’t get over the fact he had an actual choice of clothing now.

 

And the bitty was thankful Sam didn’t press him for more information on his past owner(s?), choosing to accept his response and continue going on about altering his clothing or embroidering it with whatever she thought he’d like.

 

The older sibling also seemed to have formed an attachment of sorts despite the lack of verbal communication between her and the bitty; she tolerated him in her personal space whenever he’d seen her doing something online that interested him, she’d always have some sort of physical contact with him when he was within arms reach on her desk, even shared her food with him (Sam would always joke how ‘food protective’ Zackery was when she was hungry) and dragged him into her chest multiple times for what he called ‘cuddle sessions’. Not that he minded about it at all since the additional warmth was enough to put him into a dazed and lethargic state that he was all too welcoming of.

 

On Wednesday he’d even managed to get Zackery to laugh until she couldn’t breathe anymore. In _public_ of all places.

 

Her younger sister had offered to go get some fast food for the night since grocery shopping couldn’t happen until Saturday. Not wanting to have her sister pay for it, Zackery offered to drive and dragged Orange along as well, making sure that Sam held him during the short trip. One thing led to another and the small group ended up sitting inside to eat.

 

It was mostly Orange and Sam tag-teaming the older sibling into eating inside. And it worked.

 

Granted, the older sibling was upset since she wanted to eat within the comfort of her own home, but she wasn’t going to argue the situation and chose to eat quietly while Sam and Orange enjoyed their conversation. She was happy to filter out what they were talking about, taking her slight irritation out on her food.

 

“How tall _are_ you, anyway?” Zackery heard cut through her thoughts. It was strange that her mind had decided to listen in at that moment but she glanced up at Orange who had swiped a few fries from Sam’s plate.

 

“Dunno. Never bothered carin’ about that info.”

 

“He looks about 6 or 7 inches tall.” Zackery grunted after swallowing a large bite of food, getting their attention. She didn’t miss the look Sam gave her while sipping her soda and without missing a beat, Orange smirked before saying, “Well, guess that means I’m bigger than most men.”

 

Sam spat out whatever soda had been in her mouth.

 

Zackery _almost_ resisted the urge to laugh, but the comment paired with Orange’s smug smirk alongside his brows now moving up and down made her guffaw so loudly that people had stared.

 

Orange was proud of that moment and he never let Zackery live down the fact that her face had been so red that she practically glowed. Since then he had tried more often to get some sort of chatting happen between them; it took a bit more effort but it paid off and instead of silence he was getting at least _something_. It wasn’t much more than a yes, no or ‘wake up’ but it was definitely progress.

 

So on Thursday night, when he’d been dragged into her chest for a few moments while watching a movie, he wasn’t expecting Zackery to be the one to instigate any sort of exchange.

 

“I didn’t think I’d be enjoying the company of a bitty custom.” She said, her tone making it sound like an afterthought as she peered down at him. If it weren’t for how tired he felt, he’d have had both shock and surprise mixed onto his face.

 

Instead, he opted to stare back at her with a lazy drawl in his voice.

 

“How’d you know I was a custom?”

 

Orange made a noise of protest when Zackery pulled him away from her and stood him up on the desk. He wobbled a bit, obvious irritation on his sleepy face after shoving his bony hands into the pockets of his cyan hoodie.

 

He really would have preferred to stay in that spot...

 

“Well, for starters you need supplements. Only custom bitties need those.”

 

“...uh-huh.”

 

“And in the store, you weren’t kept with the other Underswap bitties. Those are _always_ kept together...but there also wasn’t a ‘single bitty home’ sign for you either.”

 

“...uh...huh.”

 

“Lastly, you act _nothing_ like an Underswap Papyrus when it’s separated from a Sans.”

 

“...huh.”

 

Zackery frowned at his response, his lazy gaze didn’t seem to be changing before he drawled out one more word.

 

“...uh.”

 

“Am I missing anything else?” She inquired, raising an eyebrow at him when he shrugged.

 

“Not really. If you hadn’t known at all I wouldn’t have said anythin’.” He admitted sheepishly, pulling a hand out of a pocket to rub it over his skull. “Didn’t think it really mattered.”

 

She stared at him for a moment; his usual slacked posture was stiffer and it seemed the longer the silence between them went on, the more nervous he’d get. The skeletal hand rubbing his skull awkwardly moved back to be shoved into his pockets.

 

Zackery wondered what he had thought about everything. Did he care about what she thought of him being a custom? Or maybe it was something else that the bitty seemed apprehensive about?

 

“To be honest, it doesn’t. It just really makes me...curious. And a bit nervous?” Zackery said thoughtfully. “Since I don’t really _know_ anything about you. I mean, I know you like hot baths, cheesy fries, sleeping a lot...but other than that, nothing else. You being a custom just adds to the number of questions.”

 

_And trust is really important to me_ she’d wanted to add, yet the words stuck to her throat and hadn’t come out. “I could have asked Itty Bitty about your past Owners but I figured you would tell me when you were more comfortable.”

 

He didn’t respond.

 

“Unless...you don’t really like it here?”

 

The question earned a quick shake of his skull and Orange stared up at her with his face set into a frown.   
  
“It’s not that I don’t. I’m just expectin’ to be switched out or brought back to the store at any time.”

 

Now it was Zackery’s turn to be slightly surprised.

 

Customs were in high demand for many reasons; you could raise them from what people called their ‘Babybones’ stage and morph them into anything you’d wanted, they had access to what people called ‘stats’ and the ability to become stronger through leveling up. Because of this, they were far more expensive than the generic bitty you could buy from a retail store; customs were made by a private company and therefore had certain steps needed to even be able to _inquire_ about their bitties. So the fact Orange was expecting to be left back at Itty Bitty was odd; not because Zackery had even been looking to adopt a custom in the first place…

 

But because Orange made it sound like it hadn’t been the first time it happened.

 

“Is there anything else you’re just not telling me then?” She asked, noticing immediately how he broke eye contact to stare at the seemingly interesting design of her blank shirt.

 

“Nothin’ that Chance can’t tell you, tomorrow.” He replied off-handedly.

 

“And if I asked you to tell me now?”

 

“I wouldn’t.”

 

Well, at least he was honest.

 

“So if you wanted another bitty or none at all, or just didn’t like customs I’m fine with it. No hard feelings from me, really.”

 

Zackery let out a sharp ‘tch’ that made Orange visibly flinch and lower his gaze further. She hadn’t meant for the sound to be angry or threatening, but she definitely had a slight irritation itching at the back of her mind. Instead of voicing her concerns over what he’d said, the older sibling gently picked him up with both hands and cradled the bitty into her chest.

 

“PipPap had said that to me, before.” She grumbled, freeing one of her hands to use her computer mouse and click away at some files. Orange only relaxed against her, hands in his hoodie pockets and watching the screen to see what she was currently doing.

 

“You loved him a lot, didn’t you?” He asked. The tone he used sounded careful, knowing that Zackery’s other bitty was almost a taboo to bring up in a conversation. He learned that the first day he had been brought into the home; Zackery had almost _dropped_ him in an attempt the avoid his questioning, but Sam was quick to diffuse the situation.

 

He hadn’t brought it up again.

 

“More than anything. He was really weird, you know? Even when I found him on the street looking like the dirtiest and pitiful thing I’d ever seen him still…. _smiled_. Even yelled at me to take better care of myself.”

 

The pure fondness and adoration filling her voice with each word were noticeable, her clicking stopped when her gaze became unfocused.

 

“I was going through a really rough time after breaking up with my fiance; he completely ruined my life. Cheated on me, kicked me out of the house we’d bought together, caused me to lose the job I’d worked for _years_ to get…”

 

Orange stared at the screen at the picture she’d opened, waiting patiently for her story to continue. From the pause and the comforting rub of her thumb on his back for a few moments, he knew that she just needed to take her time to mull over the memories. But they were overwhelming. Zackery could hear all of PipPap’s words of encouragement, his happy shrieks whenever she’d first given him a gift, the first time he’d ever told her she needed to eat, all of the times he’d demanded she shower or brush her hair…

 

He’d always looked out for her and her wellbeing, even when Zackery had felt like an inconvenience. PipPap just had a way of making her feel as nothing in life was ever wrong, despite everything that had gone downhill and hit rock bottom.

 

Her words were rough as her throat tightened up; the tears she’d been holding back were starting to fall.

 

“I found him in a garbage can outside of a bar.” She’d said, sucking in air in an attempt to hold back crying. Zackery really didn’t want to ugly cry. And it certainly _felt_ like she was about to ugly cry.

 

“Even then, all he wanted to do was make me smile. Oh gosh, I was so drunk, too. When I got home he just nagged at me the _whole_ time that I needed to drink water, shower, eat some real food. At the time I was living by myself in a hotel so...it was odd but I liked it. After that, I couldn’t go _anywhere_ without him; decided that I should go through the legal system to make him officially _my_ bitty. Spent every last dollar I had on and for him.”

 

After another deep inhale of air, Orange adjusted himself in her grip when he’d felt it tighten slightly. She was doing a good job in holding back whatever sobs that threatened to break through her voice, but the tears fell freely.

 

“And then after all of that, one day he had just came up to me and basically just spouted out the whole ‘you can take me to wherever is so I can find a new home since you’re happy now’ Papyrus bitty bullshit. I got so _mad_ at him. Didn’t speak to him for days and that little bastard was still doing everything to just make me _laugh_. It made me hate him to some extent but afterward, we had a long chat about...everything. He promised not to say that stupid shit again and I promised to make up for being mad at him.”

 

Zackery huffed after taking in a deep and calming breath, setting Orange back down onto the desk to fix him in place with a glare despite her puffy eyes and tear-soaked face. He wanted to look away but couldn’t.

 

“Hopefully I don’t have to go through that again with _you_ .” She’d grumbled at him while rubbing one of her eyes. “Bitties are just _pets_ but that doesn’t mean you’re easily replaceable to just _anyone_. Especially me. The only way you’d be getting sent back is if you were unhappy or feeling neglected. You have to be honest about it too, okay?”

 

It was basically a plea.

 

“That’s all I want. Just honesty. You don’t like me? Just say it. You hate something I do? Oh fucking well, you tell me. Need answers? Ask away. Do you think Sam is annoying or something? That’s where I draw the line; you’re goddamn _wrong_ and you should go stand in a corner for thinking such a horrible thought about the most amazing person in the world.”

 

The bitty raised a brow at her last sentence but nodded anyways when Zackery’s stare hardened. “You got it. Be honest and don’t fuck with the sis.” He replied, pulling a hand from his pocket to give her a mock salute. “Roger that. Anythin’ else?”

 

“Eat what you want. Sleep where you want. Anything you want or need just tell me. I’m not made of money but I’ll make it work.”

 

Zackery brought a hand over to tug some of the fabric on Orange’s cyan hoodie. “So if you want this in orange you just have to say. I know they didn’t have any in the store at the time but Sam’s really good at sewing. I could get a pattern together for her and she’ll make it right up for you.”

 

That was way more than Orange felt he deserved, but he still only nodded in acceptance. Her words sounded final and trying to argue otherwise probably would have only fouled up the understanding that they both have come to at the moment.

 

And he didn’t want to ruin the good mood.

 

Satisfied with the nod, Zackery picked him up and, once again, cradled the bitty against her chest.

 

For the first time in a very long while, Orange felt a comforting warmth settle within him.

 

This new life was going to be the best thing that ever happened to him, he just knew it.

 

* * *

 

Orange was irritably suspicious the moment Chance had brought Zackery into the office to finalize his adoption.

 

As he’d gone through the process of showing her how much of the supplements to give and also asking if she wanted to rename Orange, he kept glancing at said bitty who had been standing on the desk; the unease coming from the human male was contagious to the bitty, and it made Orange anxious. Zackery seemed completely oblivious and he’d been thankful for that.

 

Chance, however, was making every red flag go off and Orange didn’t like it. In the 2 years he’d spent with the Handler, the human had only acted so nervously when it came time to handle the HT bitty.

 

_So why are you actin’ really odd?_ Orange mulled inside of his skull, making sure to keep his dull and lazy gaze on Chance throughout his whole conversation with Zackery as he went over the last details of paperwork. It definitely made the man more nervous, his hand shaking slightly as he handed a few containers of supplements to Orange’s now-official owner.

 

The bitty didn’t like it at all.

 

And the feeling had only gotten worse when Chance stood from his seat but asked Zackery to remain in the office while he fetched the manager.

 

Orange definitely didn’t like that.

 

“You remind me of a cat when they have their hair stand on end.”

 

“Somethin’ is super fishy. You don’t feel it?”

 

A hum of content followed by a long stretch in the chair confirmed that the answer was no before it was even said.

 

“I’m sure everything is fine.” Zackery told him reassuringly, noticing how the bitty’s shoulders stiffened even farther than before. Orange really did look like some sort of cat, the only difference being that he had no fur. The usual slouched posture disappeared completely when another man walked into the office with Chance behind him, holding something and looking more worse for wear with every step he took.

 

The new man sat at the desk, gaining Zackery’s full attention as he smiled, reaching to shake her hand. “Good morning Miss Porter.” He said, smiling warmly after she’d taken his hand in a firm shake.

 

“My name is Manny, and I’m the General Manager for this establishment. I want to thank you for adopting Orange here! He’s been waiting for some time to find a more permanent home.”

 

The bitty in question visibly bristled, glaring at Chance when he’d realized what the Handler had in his hands as he approached the desk.

 

“I really hate to bring you into this...situation that has come up in our store-” Manny started to say, waving his hand in Chance’s direction as if beckoning the man closer. “Especially after just having adopted Orange, but with current circumstances, the only thing I can do is explain and hope that you will maybe consider adopting an additional bitty?”

 

A deep and threatening **_growl_** cut through the air, startling Zackery when she’d realized it came from Orange. The bitty was now as tall as he could be, fists clenched inside of his hoodie with nothing but pure _hatred_ and murderous intent flowing around him in a way she’d never seen before. The usual lazy and relaxed bitty was gone, replaced with this feral creature as it threatened Chance before she had an opportunity to try and comfort him. “ **Don’t even** ** _think_** **‘bout bringin’ that t h i n g** **over here**.” he hissed dangerously, making Chance freeze.

 

It was then that Zackery noticed Chance had been holding another bitty, most likely the one Manny mentioned briefly, staring more pointedly at the gnarly-looking gap in its skull. It stared at Orange with a side of its face turning up into a smirk.

 

The bitty waved, only making Orange growl further.

 

“Bring home _another_ bitty? One that Orange obviously dislikes?” Zackery asked in a concerned voice.

 

Manny only chuckled. “I know you’re worried, but if you’ll give me a few moments of your time you’ll understand my reasoning for this. We’d never suggest an adoption if we knew for a fact that it wouldn’t work out for you or Orange. Will you hear me out, at least?”

 

“ **NO**.” Orange snarled, nearly fighting Zackery when she’d picked him up and all but dropped him on her shoulder. “You know, for a bitty that wasn’t a single-bitty-home’, you sure do act like it.” She muttered warningly before moving her attention back to Manny.

 

Would she consider it? No. There’s no way in hell she would bring home a bitty that had brought out such a defensive response from Orange, who seemed perfectly _harmless_ when she’d first brought him home. Not to mention the amount of unease she felt after noticing that the bitty Chance held now stared at her.

 

Forget unease, she felt borderline _unsettled_ with the blood red light fixed on her.

 

Her decision was made, but the slight desperation she could see in Chance’s eyes stopped her from standing up that moment and leaving.

 

“I’ll at least hear you out.” She said after a few moments of tense silence with Orange’s occasional growl whenever the other bitty so much as shifted. Zackery was quick to silence the growling and defensive bundle on her shoulder when he tried to speak up about her response. “ _Calm down...I’ll just listen and then we’ll leave, okay?_ ” She’d muttered to him, trying to sound comforting.

 

But it didn’t work. Manny seemed to ignore the snarling and growling from Orange, choosing to smile when Zackery said she’d be willing to listen to their predicament. Chance still stood near the door, awkwardly shifting himself as the bitty in his hands sat patiently and kept his stare on Zackery.

 

She only stared back.

 

“Thank you for at least listening. It’s more than I could have expected.” He started, clearing his throat when another rumble came from Orange.

 

“You see...the bitty Chance is holding has made it very _clear_ to the staff that it wishes to be adopted by you. Of course, this bitty is... _special_.” Manny emphasized the word in such a way that made Zackery turn to face him. “We haven’t had it our care for very long, but it is quite old and requires a different type of supplement than Orange does. Because of this as well as its...background, I’m required by law to inform you of everything it has been through before you make a decision.”

 

He glanced pointedly at the bitty.

 

“Despite all of the misgivings and questionable behavior it has used to inform us that it wished for _you_ specifically to adopt it, I’ve had Chance pull up the files just in case you accepted in giving us a chance to explain.”

 

“Why me?” Zackery asked, cutting him off before he could continue. She didn’t miss the odd twitch of Manny’s smile or how he folded his hands in front of him. Orange hadn’t missed it either and let out a quieter grumble as his glare hardened into suspicion. “And I don’t want to hear it from you.” She added quickly, pointing to the bitty in Chance’s hands. “I want _him_ to tell me. Bring him on over, Chance.”

 

Orange was not happy with that all but silenced his growling when Zackery threatened to leave him in the storefront with an employee. It took every ounce of willpower to not snarl as Chance obeyed, cautiously moving forward and setting the bitty on the desk. It immediately turned to full face Zackery, the permanent smile on its face completely turned upward.

 

Then it waved.

 

So she stared at it.

 

And it stared back.

 

“It’s ‘cus you remind me of someone.” The bitty told her. It put her off with how deep and rough the voice was. That paired with the amusement she could feel in its smile when Orange growled just made her uncomfortable.

 

“Someone I _really_ cared ‘bout. I jus’ thought it’d be nice havin’ you as an owner.”

 

Oh.

 

“Is that so.” Zackery stated, rather than asked, in a flat and unbelieving tone. She waited for some sort of reaction from the bitty, but they continued to stare each other down.

 

“It’s had a troubled life.” Manny cut in, opening a drawer in the desk and pulling out a manila folder that looked a decent 2 inches thick. “So it’s only natural that it would find comfort with a person who somewhat resembles an owner they were familiar with. So I was willing to allow its adoption through you with some very strict _conditions_ if you would agree with it.” He opened the file and began flipping through the papers. “Now I do warn that despite its age, it still can be quite...protective of its owner. But it has shown that it is willing to be compliant and allow itself to be adopted into a home with another bitty”

 

“ _I doubt that._ ” Orange grumbled in Zackery’s ear.

 

“This bitty, in particular, is actually a custom that’s roughly...nine years old?” Manny asked, looking up at the bitty with a raised eyebrow. It only shrugged in response.

 

“Give or take a few.” It responded in a bored tone before continuing with the staring contest it had started with Zackery. Manny ‘hmm’ed in response before returning to the papers and flipping through them again.

 

“Yes. Over that course of time, he’s been through quite a few owners-”

 

“Thirty-five to be exact.”

 

“and for legal reasons, I must inform you that there have also been a few _deaths_ caused by the bitty as well. About...eight.”

 

“ **_Four_ ** .” The bitty quickly interjected, huffing irritably. “Half of them weren’t even _my_ fault.”

 

“Yeah and I also bet all of the bitties you dusted and ate to get your level weren’t your fault, either.” Orange bit out from Zackery’s shoulder.

 

The amount of tension already in the room rose to levels that even Zackery was beginning to feel unsafe in. Any amount of restraint from Orange had disappeared and the bitty standing on the desk only lazily shrugged, fixing a tighter smile on its face before returning Orange’s jab with a wink.

 

“Not my _choice_. An’ you should know that better than anyone.”

 

Before any further discussion could be made, Zackery quickly stood from her seat and placed a hand over Orange when she felt the bitty attempting to get down from her shoulder.

 

“Look. I understand you had good intentions with this but...I can’t bring this bitty home with me.”

 

Any sort of desperation in Manny’s voice was lost when Zackery cut him off, an air of finality in her posture as she pointed to the bitty on the desk. “It’s too risky, and I’ve already lost one bitty. It’s obvious they wouldn’t get along and I can’t handle losing another. Even if the threat wasn’t there, I would in no way shape or form be able to afford the adoption fees or additional costs of a second bitty.”

 

“B-but we’ve already brought this into consideration.” Manny said quickly, trying to prevent her from cutting him off again.

 

He was starting to seem _too_ desperate and she wasn’t liking it.

 

“We’ve spoken to the bitty personally and we do have conditions that it would have to follow-”

 

“You can’t guarantee that it will follow those conditions once I leave this store.” Zackery snapped, her irritation pushing through into her voice and being fueled by Orange’s growling that they should leave. “There’s no way I’d be able to even _think_ about bringing it home, especially considering that it _apparently_ has a high enough level to be able to **_kill people_ **.”

 

With the intent of leaving, she moved around Chance, completely missing the fearful glance he gave Manny and the eyelights of the custom flickering out for a few seconds. Her hand had just grabbed the doorknob when the bitty let out a loud and _heartless_ laugh; the tone empty and devoid of any emotion as it echoed throughout the room. It was cold enough to stop her from slamming the door open, freezing her in her tracks.

 

“That’s not really _fair_ .” The bitty’s voice ground out sounding more offended than angry. “Considerin’ Orangey there has killed people _too_.”

 

She felt her stomach twist uncomfortably.

 

“I _know_ him.” Zackery retaliated, turning to the bitty with her hand still on the doorknob. “I don’t _know_ you, I don’t _trust_ you, and these two are way too desperate to get you off their hands. So you either cut the bullshit and tell me what you really want or I’m going home and _never_ coming back.”

 

That definitely had gotten a response from the bitty, but not one she’d been expecting.

 

It _laughed_. But not with the same cold feeling as before...no, this one was more hearty, a complete opposite.

 

“I was tellin’ the truth.” It told her. “All I really want is to be adopted. By _you_. That’s all, I swear it.”

 

Then it turned to Manny. “Go on, tell ‘er what we talked about.”

 

And Manny wouldn’t _dare_ show any sort of fear when its empty eye sockets stared at him, the facade of a smile now twitching erratically. So Manny quickly cleared his throat.

 

“Being very _adamant_ on you being the new owner, we...we did come to a few conditions.” He started out slowly, watching the bitty quickly erase any sort of threatening signs before turning back to Zackery and having the audacity to _smile_ at her.

 

“For starters, the supplements we give it are sort of a...dampener. Since it’s such a higher level, we use it to prevent it from being able to use any of its abilities, so we would provide you those for free despite how expensive they are. You’re allowed to bring it back the _instant_ you feel it is crossing a line. No questions asked.”

 

Zackery’s eyes narrowed, her hand already twisting the doorknob and tugging on it.

 

Manny felt himself freeze when she moved to leave; the defeat of not being able to sway her into taking the custom home would hit more heavily than he’d wanted to admit.  
  
“But if you don’t consider it, then we’d have no choice but to put him down.”

 

That definitely stopped her but earned a loud snarl from Orange who yelled out irritably, “Don’t you pull that card! Don’t believe that shit they’re-”

 

“It’s true though, Orange.” Chance cut in, his tone dropping solemnly. “The custom is so adamant on being adopted by her that we’d be unable to adopt it out to anyone else. It’s so _willing_ to agree to any terms or conditions we bring up that we couldn’t just overlook it…that’s why we are so desperate, Zackery. This bitty has lived such a long life of unfit homes, we just want to see it go somewhere we know it’d be better off at. You know we wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise…”

 

His voice broke, in both desperation and honest sadness that Zackery practically _felt_ . She could feel it tighten her chest and she absolutely hated it considering she’d already made the firm decision to _not_ bring the custom home.

 

The tense silence, ignoring Orange’s insistent pleas that they leave, only seemed to grow with each passing moment before Zackery’s shoulders dropped in defeat. She turned around, moving her hand from the doorknob and glaring at both men hard enough to make them both flinch.

 

“ **_Any_ ** terms.” She stated rather than asked, and the bitty on the desk nodded.

 

“Anythin’ you want of me, you get. You want me to never speak, fine. Want me to be a pet to your lil Orangey, I’ll do it. Only want to see me once a week? A month? _Fuck_ even a year? I’ll do anythin’ for you. You can even shove me in a shoebox an’ I won’t fuss. I’d even let you dust me yourself if it meant I got to spend longer than a week out of this place.”

 

Zackery’s glare withered slightly and she reached for the door again.

 

“I’ll be back.” She snapped, yanking the door open fully before calling out over her shoulder. “And I want you _all_ to know this decision I’m making is not because I’m _willing_ . I don’t want this bitty **_at all_ **.”

 

When the door slammed shut behind her, Manny and Chance both let out breaths of relief before a low growl caught their attention.

 

“You **_better hope_ ** she is bringin’ me home today. Sure would be a shame if I were **_p u t d o w n_ **.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Orange was absolutely _livid_ , and putting it that way was an understatement. He couldn’t believe that Chance, of all humans, would use such a tactic to manipulate Zackery, _knowing_ that there was no way she’d say no after that. It made Orange want to slam the human’s face into the wall and break every bone on his face. And that was only _one_ of the many things he wanted to do.

 

He was also disappointed in himself for not being able to prevent her from being practically thrown into a corner. Now she would end up bringing home something way more dangerous than he knew she could handle. Orange sat on her shoulder, still bristling in anger and rubbing the back of her neck comfortingly as she sat outside of the store on the curb. She silently thought to herself and huffed every now and then, indicating whatever plan she’d coming up with wasn’t working.

 

“This is so fucked up.”

 

“You’re tellin’ me.”

 

His patted her shoulder comfortingly when she let out a noise that sounded like a mixture of a wail and an angry curse. “They really were layin’ on that sob story.”

 

Nevermind the fact she’d found out her own bitty had managed to kill someone (or people? She didn’t know), but that custom was apparently strong enough to cause serious harm or even worse. And yet despite this knowledge, she still couldn’t factor out the sadness and _desperate_ sound of Chance’s voice as well as the bitty’s after they’d brought up putting it down if she denied adopting it.

 

Custom bitties were always in the news for killing each other or being used to kill humans. It was just something she’d have to live with in this world.

 

“I don’t feel like I have a choice here. I...have to bring him home.”

 

Zackery felt the anger radiate from Orange and brought up a hand to pick him up, cuddling him close against her. She did it to not only comfort him but herself as well.

 

This whole situation had left her in shaky shoes, making her regret not bringing Sam along. Her sister had been overworking herself to give her a bitty in the first place; Zackery spent the whole week trying to think of ways to even _begin_ to start paying her back because of it. They already were tight on money in certain areas of their lives, and a bitty was certainly a luxury they shouldn’t have been able to afford in the first place.

 

“What are you gonna tell your sis?”

 

“Shit I don’t know.” Zackery all but wailed, stomping her foot angrily on the concrete. “And I can’t give her some bullshit story, either. She’d know something was up.”

 

They both sat in silence for some time; Orange did his best to try and calm the anger boiling inside of him and focus on trying to help Zackery.

 

Stars above, she’d need it.

 

“I’m sorry to make you put up with this.” She grumbled quietly, burying her face into her hands and letting out an angered huff of air. “This isn’t how things are supposed to work.”

 

“I’ll figure somethin’ out for you. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Zackery turned to look at him, and he patted her cheek.

 

“Just trust me. I’m not goin’ to let anythin’ happen to you. Now...let’s go get this over with.”

 

* * *

 

All of the previous tension in the room had thickened uncomfortably as Zackery reentered the office. Chance had left to take care of the other bitties while Manny quickly motioned for her to sit down. The custom was sitting on the edge of the desk, dangling his legs and swinging them as he watched her take a seat.

 

“You don’t know how much this means to everyone.” Manny stated happily before shrinking away when Orange pinned him with a glare. Zackery refused to take the pen he had offered her in order to start the paperwork.

 

“I got some _conditions_ for you.” Orange ground out, doing his best to keep his tone flat and non-aggressive. “And _it_.”

 

“Oh?” The other bitty asked with a raised brow, having the glare moved from Manny to it.

 

“You take _twice_ the amount of supplements you usually get.” Orange started in a biting tone, watching for any signs of retaliation or defiance in the other bitty. He’d only received an empty and flat stare in return so he continued.

 

“My home, my rules; you eat what you’re given, you sleep where **_I_ ** tell you, and you don’t argue with **m y** humans. You so much as _look_ at them funny and I’ll dust you myself.”

 

The threat hung in the air for some time before the other bitty nodded in agreement. Orange _knew_ something else was going on in that skull, but he couldn’t pin it down. There was no sign of threat, defiance, anger or even the smugness that had been there earlier. It was as if the custom was taking every condition and threat to heart, yet somehow...not.

 

It made him even more uneasy.

 

“You do anythin’ I don’t like and we’re bringin’ you back here in a glass jar to feed to the next custom that gets dropped off.”

 

“Do I at least get to speak?”

 

“As for **you** -” Orange snapped, ignoring the other bitty’s question and returning his glare to Manny who all but jumped out of his seat at the bitterness behind the words. This behavior and tone Orange had used was something he hadn’t seen before and it was...scary for him.

 

It made him regret ever agreeing to assist the custom with getting Zackery to adopt him.

 

“Zackery doesn’t pay a dime for _anythin’_ ; clothing, supplements, adoption or care fees, food or anythin’ else she’ll need to take **_it_ ** home today. It’s all covered by the store.”

 

Manny nodded; it was only when Orange gave Zackery’s arm a gentle pat that she took the offered pen and started signing the papers.

 

It had taken about an hour for the hasty scribbling to come to an end. She’d picked out a name for him since she didn’t really want to go around calling him ‘HT’ or ‘Custom’. So with some grumbling from Orange, Zackery picked up her new bitty after settling Orange on her shoulder and headed for the door.

 

Manny didn’t miss the satisfied smirk and wave the bitty, now named ‘Scamp’, threw at him.

 

Once the door had shut completely, the man dropped his forehead onto the desk, wincing at the pain and loud noise that had come from the action. He couldn’t believe he just did what he just did.

 

He’d pulled it off.

 

And there was nothing but regret.

 

**_Everything went according to plan far more perfectly than expected, and the only thing he could do was hope that the custom gave Orange a reason to dust it._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I kept having to rewrite this chapter but I finally got it to work out the way I wanted it to! I'd also like to note that I'm having a really hard time keeping Orange and the HT Sans Custom consistent with the way they talk. Orange is supposed to be a lazy drawl, but not slurred. The custom is supposed to have more...or rolling words if that makes sense. Orange's words are supposed to slurr more when he's mad. Dangit. (THIS IS DIFFICULT I SO I GAVE UP.)
> 
> So to make up for the wait I made sure that this chapter was extra long! 
> 
> I've got six different stories I started planning out for writing, and once this story is about halfway done I'll start posting those~
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> (What's gonna happen next in the upcoming chapter??
> 
> Safewords and ill intentions!)


	3. Deflation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to find out about the B.C.S. and Scamp's small amount of breaking patience.

* * *

 

Zackery was conflicted.

 

After returning home she’d immediately rushed back to her room, all but dropping Scamp onto her bed and sat behind her computer monitors with Orange standing next to her, his foot occasionally kicking towards the manilla folders she’d brought back home from Itty Bitty. The first one now had Scamp’s name written on it and was far heavier than the other, which had Orange’s. Zackery made sure to request a copy of any and all information in regards to the bitties before leaving the store, not wanting or willing to sit in the office when the tension was nearly suffocating.

 

She didn’t want to read the contents, but she  _ had _ to.

 

Then she’d have to either tell Samantha about the damaged-looking bitty’s past or completely fabricate a story as to why there were now two bitties in the house, one of which the younger sibling knew (for sure) was  _ only _ supposed to be adopted out to a home with no other bitties.

 

Tentatively, Zackery peeked around one of her monitors to stare at Scamp.

 

If anything, the bitty seemed rather relaxed and happy; he hadn’t moved from where Zackery dropped him, even having flopped onto his back with his limbs splayed out as if reveling in the feeling of a bed. There hadn’t been any time for him to change after leaving the store, so he still wore the store’s original black shorts and white shirt; Zackary wondered if he’d even wanted any of the clothing she grabbed for him since...he hadn’t seemed interested in anything back at the store.

 

He seemed genuinely happy to be able to just leave the store.

 

She didn’t miss the content sigh of air Scamp let out after a few moments of just laying there.

 

“If you need anything just let me know, alright?” she asked before reseating herself in front of her computer. One of his hands lazily moved to wave, acknowledging that he’d heard her before carelessly falling back onto the mattress.

 

It only fueled Orange’s irritable state.

 

The other bitty had been standing as tall as he could, refusing to relax or take his sharp eyelights off of Scamp, even now. It _ really _ didn’t help with Zackery’s nerves but by the time all of the adrenaline after getting home wore out from that day’s events she was just exhausted. The only thing on her mind was doing a read-through of the files then get food. 

 

Her stomach decided to intervene in her trail of thoughts with a grumble, putting food on the top of her priority list.

 

Without any warning to her intention, she easily picked up her scowling bitty, ignoring the indignant complaint about being manhandled when he was ‘busy’, and moved to her door. 

 

“Scamp, I’m going to get some food and a drink. Behave yourself.” Zackery called over to him; he only responded the same before, lazily waving an arm before letting it drop back onto the bed. She didn’t miss feeling the vibrating grumble from Orange as she opened the door. Only when the door closed behind her did her bitty decide to speak up in a rather indignant voice. “Can’t believe I’m sharing  **_m y_ ** space with that  _ thing _ .” Which made Zackery let out a long and tired sigh.

 

She couldn’t, either. But it was happening and things could only go one of two ways.

 

Well...three if she wanted to count the possibility of body bags being involved.

 

“I know you don’t like him, but please try to at least get along for now.” Zackery muttered quietly, reaching around inside of the fridge to grab something she’d hidden behind the milk. “Despite the threats, he’s been really cooperative and eager to comply with my... _ your _ demands.”

 

“All the more reason to be suspicious! This whole thing ain’t  _ right _ and you know it!”

 

Of  _ course _ she knew it wasn’t right. Nothing about this was right, or comforting, or maybe not even legal! But she wanted to give Scamp benefit of the doubt for now to at least try easing the amount of stress she was feeling. 

 

“I’m not stupid.” She grumbled after finding the hidden container, quickly retracting her arm to close the fridge door to now dig around for a clean plate. “Look...I know you’re upset. We both are. We’re both stressed, tired, and I bet neither of us will be sleeping well tonight.” Another quick movement; the contents of the container were dumped onto a plate and now sat within the microwave. Once she’d entered the time and hit ‘Start’, Zackery turned around to cross her arms and lean against the counter. Orange had begun pacing around where she’d set him.

 

That’s when a thought hit her, seeing the frustration in every bit of him and his face.

 

Did Orange want to go back to Itty Bitty and not come back with her? Or maybe he was plotting ways to get Scamp sent back instead, or even dusted? 

 

“This isn’t ideal, but let’s just see how everything goes for the next day or so, alright?”

 

“If he so much as  **_l o o k s_ ** at you in a way I don’t like, he’s gone.”

 

“Orange,  _ please... _ ” Zackery pleaded, ignoring the microwave when it beeped, announcing that it was done. “Do you really think that if he had some sort of plan, he’d kill me? If he’s as dangerous (or smart, maybe?) as you’re making him out to be, that’s the last thing he’d do.”

 

He stopped his pacing to give her the meanest look that Zackery had ever seen on a bitty.

 

It definitely wasn’t comforting.

 

...

 

And neither was the silence.

 

Her stomach rumbling reminded her of the reason why she’d left her room in the first place, so she quickly went to retrieve her food along with a fork. She wasn’t, however, prepared for Orange to step out of her hand’s reach when she’d gone to pick him up. Awkwardly, her hand grabbed air, flexing a few times before staring at him with a somewhat confused look on her face.

 

“Promise me,” the bitty grated out, his voice nearly dropping both in volume and octave with his words. “that if it comes down to it, you’ll do the right thing.” 

 

It felt as if his eyelights were staring straight  _ through _ her.

 

“And I’ll make sure nothin’’ll ever happen to you or your lil sis.”

 

Without hesitation, Zackery gave Orange a nod, placing a hand over her chest and meeting his gaze’s intensity with her own.

 

“I promise.”

 

“And so do I.”

 

Another grumbling from her stomach made Orange stare at her flatly when her face flushed, her gaze looking at the food for a moment before sighing.

 

“Let’s get this over with. But try to be civil, okay? Unless he’s absolutely...rude or something. I want to get through this and go to bed.”

 

“Fine.”

 

* * *

 

 

Scamp was living  _ the life _ .

 

Never in his years had he ever felt a bed so soft, a room so warm…

 

Or food so good!

 

He didn’t care about the other grumbling bitty, who did nothing but whine when Scamp asked if Zackery would share her food with him. What better way to test if the other bitty would follow through with his whining of wanting to dust him than to get buddy-buddy with the human as quickly as possible?

 

Well…she’d be  _ his _ human, now. 

 

Getting to know her better would only hurt the ego of her other (insufferable) bitty.

 

**_And watching ‘Orangey’ fluff himself up was entertaining._ **

 

Scamp could care less about anything else, not even when she decided to finally open his file and stare at the first page. The stuffed jalapenos that had been pushed in front of him to eat were  _ way _ more deserving of his attention at the moment.

 

(It made him laugh inside when he’d seen the disgusted look on Orange’s face after swallowing a jalapeno  _ whole _ .)

 

“You’re...pretty old.” 

 

He only snorted in response and grabbed another jalapeno. 

 

“And...an illegally high level?! What the actual  _ fuck _ -”

 

Scamp only half-heard her ramblings, too focused on devouring the food in front of him. Who cared if he was such a high level? He sure didn’t! He’d already agreed to eat all of those extra dampeners, so were there really any issues?

 

Apparently so, judging by how worried Zackery seemed. And she hadn’t even gotten past the first page.

 

“Oh god I could get  _ arrested _ -”

 

_ Actually, Manny and Chance would. But she doesn’t need to know that. _

 

“This could put a target on my back-”

 

_ None of Scamp’s old acquaintances even knew he was still alive, so that was unlikely. The worst thing that could happen was if someone threatened her when Scamp was around. _

 

The thought made him pause his chewing slightly before he continued.

 

**_There was no way he was going to let his freedom get taken away or be interfered with because some idiot decided to try and harm his human._ **

 

“How on earth did you end up at Itty Bitty? Your level is so high that you’re not even supposed to be available for adoption! I might actually need a permit for you!”

 

_ Oh, that question was directed towards him, judging by the harsh glare from the other bitty. _

 

**_No empty threats coming out of him now, were there?_ **

 

Scamp paused mid-bite, turning to give Zackery a smirk with a half-hearted shrug.

 

“People felt bad for me. Figured ‘cus I was older an’ never had a good home that I deserved somethin’ better than a glass box in some sort of facility.”

 

**_Which made everything easier than it should have been._ **

 

“Didn’t make a difference. No one wanted me an’ I couldn’t complain. I mean...I’m  _ alive _ .”

 

Zackery could feel her thought process nearly jitter to the point where her eyes began to cross as she squinted at Scamp. He continued to devour food without a care in the world.

 

Did he not understand the severity of the situation?

 

“I’m thinkin’ you should read the rest of the file before gett’in all worked up ‘bout it.” Scamp replied with a mouth full of food. “You might find the answer to all of those problems.”

 

But it was  _ hard _ to ignore the thoughts that raced through her brain; there were too many things that could go wrong if the law were involved and Zackery wasn’t ready for that kind of stress or responsibility! She’d  _ just _ finalized Orange’s adoption and wanted to do nothing but relax and get to know him better. 

 

She didn’t want this new bitty or anything else associated with it.

 

That included any sort of drama or stress.

 

...

 

Yet here it was, eating her food because she was too nervous to eat with no promise of a comfortable sleep.

 

For her  _ or _ Orange.

 

_ Okay.  _

 

_ Okay. _

 

_ Okay, I can do this. Just get it over with and look through everything. _

 

Despite the angrily bright red flags going off telling her she needed to take care of the other problems first, she willed herself to skim through the rest of the first page.

 

It gave off the basic information; The bitty type, current age, ‘danger level’, current owner and residence, certain behaviors or habits, preferences and…

 

A positive mark with adoption status as ‘Active’.

 

Which showed that yes, Scamp  _ was _ legally allowed to be adopted out. There was even an array of signatures and a phone number to the company in case a copy of the documents confirming the legality was needed. Then before she could even form another question she stared below the number, finding exactly what Scamp had been speaking about - the Bitty Carer Society.

 

The B.C.S was an organization that had taken the responsibility of ‘saving’ custom bitties from abusive households, or removing them completely if they felt they’d eventually become a threat to people if they remained where they were. According to a lot of news articles, not only did they rehabilitate, but they’d also found other uses for a bitty that had a high level; some bitties went on to be helpful to people with disabilities as therapy companions, security in airports or other businesses, sometimes in offices to help the workers with stress, and (surprisingly) even as hall monitors in schools that had suffered gun violence in the past. Any bitties that couldn’t make the cut in order to work were sent off to foster homes to be monitored and  _ then _ finally sent to stores when the approval was given.

 

But that didn’t explain why Scamp had had so many owners as well as having killed a few of them…so she flipped the page. A list of names that belonged to all of Scamp’s past owners, 8 of which were marked in red ink, and she once again flipped the page (though faster than the previous one).

 

“Before you read anythin’ else-” Scamp piped up, the container next to him now empty of its contents. “make sure you lookit the dates.”

 

Orange didn’t appreciate the wink the other bitty gave Zackery despite her not looking in his direction and pointed threateningly. Rather than back down, Scamp only twitched his smile upwards. “Now now Orangey, I didn’t do anythin’. No need to point fingers.”

 

“ **Don’t** call me that.” Was the angered growl; Zackery reached over and pulled Orange closer to her, not taking her eyes off of what she was reading. The action only made Scamp’s smile twitch further, his smile turning more smug and lazy. The exchange continued, however, with Orange’s growling become more and more smothered into silence as he was held onto tighter when he’d open his mouth to snap at Scamp, who’s smugness only grew.

 

She ignored the rest exchange between the two bitties after orange’s grumbling quieted and skimmed over the dates before going further, realizing now that everything  _ seemed _ to make sense. According to the paperwork, Scamp had gone through a large number of his previous owners before going into the program; he’d gone through 8 after getting out of the program and was deemed unfit for any sort of work other than security detail. 

 

No record of actually  _ doing _ any work was there, but the last owners he had been adopted by ended up...dying or being killed. It was strange, though not as frightening as she’d originally thought while reading the causes; two of them had died of illnesses that were previously diagnosed before the bitty had been adopted into the homes. One died in a vehicle accident that Scamp was not present in, another had overdosed when Scamp and the owner’s sister had been out grocery shopping…the last 4, however…

 

They hadn’t lived in the same apartment, but they lived in the same building which had caught fire. Witness accounts and security cameras showed that they had gotten drunk, making the mistake of harassing the bitty on a level in which he’d felt unsafe and defended himself. The actions taken against his owner led to the fire starting when a cigarette fell onto the carpet where there had been some flammable debris.

 

And the rest is history. Scamp went back to the B.C.S for reevaluation before being sent to another store for adoption, but after some time decided that he didn’t like that store anymore, becoming a bit of a problem to the point where the staff wanted him transferred or put down. That’s when Itty Bitty stepped in and became his new home for the next 3 years.

 

This new information was both a relief alongside a bit of weight being removed from Zackery's shoulders.

 

Not completely though; her unease was still present, nagging away on her thoughts.

 

But maybe she didn’t have any  _ real _ reason to be suspicious anymore?

 

Most of the additional files went into more detail of Scamp’s behaviors in the past, copies of adoption paperwork, copies of death certificates that  _ seemed _ legitimate enough. Additionally, she could just call the B.C.S and get confirmation. Though there was still a nagging feeling that something was missing...

 

“Tomorrow I’m going to make a phone call.” Zackery announced, sounding more confident than she felt after closing the folder and pushing it to the side. Scamp’s smug grin still sat in place, though the corners of his mouth twitched a little more into sort of a half-cheeky grin.

 

“See? Nothin’ else to worry ‘bout.”

 

_ For now, _ she thought. Yes, there was the relief with the knowledge of the B.C.S being there, but Zackery couldn’t ignore how aggressively Orange acted around Scamp.

 

Even after going through the program, he was still perceived as a threat. 

 

Zackery let out a long and tired sigh, leaning away from her desk to stretch. She didn’t miss the pout from Orange when he’d let him go, or the brightness of Scamp’s single eye-light when a few popping noises came from her back. Muscles were aching, her legs felt cramped and her eyes were beginning to sting with a need for sleep.

 

So she rested her head on her desk to think.

 

The standards for rehabilitation and release of bitties that had been a part of the B.C.S’s program were intense from what she’d remembered being told; when she found PipPap, she was required to take the bitty in for an evaluation to see if he was a custom as well as find out exactly where he came from. Once it was discovered that PipPap  _ wasn’t _ a custom, the woman who’d handled their appointment had said Zackery was really lucky that PipPap wasn’t a custom, otherwise he would have been removed from her care immediately and she’d most likely never see him again. 

 

It would have broken her heart since an attachment to the bitty had already formed.

 

_ “We had a bitty come in a long time ago that was really angry all of the time,” _ Zackery remembered hearing her say quietly as they both watched PipPap strut on the desk and start to rearrange everything he could get his hands on. “ _ took him two  _ **_years_ ** _ before he was approved for any sort of work despite him  _ **_wanting_ ** _ to change himself for the better. Another bitty I remember came in after that and was the absolute sweetest; took him just as long to get through the program. The temperament doesn’t matter here; the only things we take into consideration are whether a bitty is willing or not. If not, then they...well they fail the program and live in the building’s facilities for a grace period. Then if they still fail the program again once the grace period is over...” _

 

Zackery remembered reading the B.C.S’s statistics that they’d post publicly every year for Bitty Awareness; thousands of custom bitties were put down due to failing the program...none of them would ever know what it’d be like to have a home where they didn’t need to live in fear, be hungry or even trained to harm other bitties and humans.

 

Many hardcore activists had been trying to fight since the creation of bitties and their appearance in stores; they believed that because bitties were sentient with thoughts and feelings of their own, they deserved to be free from the pet trade. The first few years were rough, too...anyone who’d bought a bitty was immediately shunned by activists, being constantly harassed; some even had their bitties stolen in the process…

 

The legal system ended up having to do thorough investigations of how bitties were made and why their creator believed they were nothing more than pets.

 

Bitties were created with the purpose of pets and were therefore made as such; they were incapable of evolving beyond their original design. Their personalities and minds were basically copied then pasted, unable to be anymore more or less than what they were originally made to be. They could  _ learn _ based on their owner's mannerisms for adjusting to new environments, but the bitties were unable to change themselves. So, saying that they were sentient beings was completely stretched out and inaccurate truth.

 

In simpler terms, generic bitties were unable to become more than pets and function as anything else. What made this sadder is that the bitties themselves  _ knew _ this yet accept it willingly…they were created that way.

 

At least the generic ones.

 

Custom Bitties had completely broken the system in which generics followed, yet had enough faults and similarities for the legal system to also deny any sort of capability to evolve into more than just a tool, pet or companion. After the first custom was introduced by a private manufacturer, all kinds of hell broke loose.

 

Especially when unsavory people discovered the hidden capabilities that the bitties could learn, their large amounts of potential being abused at every possible turn while the legal system struggled to keep up with each new Custom Category being introduced into the market. 

 

The bitty trade was basically on  _ fire _ and showing no signs of slowing down.

 

Then the worst had happened...someone discovered that custom bitties could get  _ stronger _ .

 

One single person discovered that, by allowing their custom to eat the dust of another bitty, they would get more  _ powerful _ .

 

The man had been associated with illegal activities, so he’d had the means to obtain as many little sacrifices as possible for his pet. He’s also known as the only person to have ever gotten a bitty to their highest level and fullest use of their potential, using them in all sorts of turf wars to gain an edge in whatever or wherever he fancied at the time.

 

A lot of officers ended up  _ murdered  _ in the process of capturing the man as well; the bitty was hellbent on taking out as many people possible, only surrendering because they claimed to have been bored with the crime life and was just taking out a lot of pent-up anger…

 

No one had been happy about that and demanded that the bitty be destroyed.

 

The last thing Zackery remembered hearing about it was when a court decided that the bitty be given the opportunity to better themselves in the B.C.S; never allowed to leave, never allowed to work, never allowed to be adopted, and completely immune to any sort of grace period on being put down it created a lot of backlash in the bitty community…

 

Then anything else about it just sort of died off alongside the B.C.S ignoring any inquiries about the bitty.

 

Since then, things in the bitty community quieted down, becoming more tolerable and tame as the law became more involved with custom bitties. The manufacturer even willingly cooperated with any and all laws passed; regulations for how their bitties were distributed, paid large amounts of money towards permits just to run their business, even helped fund foster care for customs by donating towards the cause.

 

_ Even though they could just _ **_not_ ** _ make bitties with abilities or stats…  _ Zackery’s brain grumbled tiredly when she’d remembered how a new law would pass whenever they’d release a new bitty type. She figured there was something else going on in that sense, as the legal system never actually told the manufacturer to stop.

 

“More reading can wait later. It’s bedtime.” Zackery mumbled, forcing her body to lift her forehead from the desk. “I’m ready for sleep.”

 

“Can I sleep with you?”

 

“Absolutely  **n o t** .”

 

“Aww but Orangey, that bed’s the most comfortable thing  _ ever _ .”

 

Zackery only stared at her desk blankly as the bitties argued over who was going to sleep where.

 

_ It wouldn’t be fair for Orange to have Scamp sleep with us...but Scamp hasn’t done anything to deserve sleeping on the chair. _ The thought muddled through her brain at a turtle’s pace. She refused to make Scamp sleep on the floor as Orange had wanted, or in a box somewhere else in the house.

 

“Orange…” her exhausted tone made them both quiet as it interrupted their bickering. “He can have a pillow on the desk for tonight.”

 

There were complaints from Orange, there were snarks from Scamp and there was the sound of Zackery’s forehead hitting the desk when the two just wouldn’t  _ stop _ .

 

The poor woman just wanted sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

“She asleep?”

 

…

 

“This pillow’s  _ amazin’ _ .”

 

…

 

“When d’you think she’ll let me on the bed?”

 

…

 

“Maybe even cuddle?”

 

**_SNAP_ **

 

Scamp recognized that sound anywhere, his permanent grin twitching slightly as he turned to stare at the glaringly bright eyelights of Orange.

 

“So you  _ can _ jump ‘round a bit. What else can you do?”

 

The smaller bitty could hear steps moving around the pillow he’d centered himself on, not showing any sort of worry or care in the world once he sprawled out onto it. Zackery had said it was only temporary, which he was fine with, but hadn’t expected her to ask him to not move from the desk if he woke up.

 

She didn’t say that he had to leave Orange alone, however.

 

“Let’s get somethin’  _ straight _ -” Scamp heard, tightening his grin across his face and holding back the laugh threatening to come out. He could just imagine the other bitty being puffed up to try and look as threatening as possible.

 

**_Someone’s a little territorial._ **

 

“This is **m y** home now. And she’s  **m y** human. You’re not in that equation.”

 

**Maybe ‘a little’ was an understatement.**

 

“I’m here ain’t I?”

 

“Stay  **away** from her.”

 

**_And there it was._ **

 

**_His opportunity_ ** **_._ **

 

Scamp let out a noise; a mix of tired with a bite of something else. He focused his eye-light on Orange and  _ smirked _ knowingly. Even sprawled out on the pillow, the bitty wasn’t taking the situation seriously,  _ knowing _ Orange was getting more riled up with each word he spoke.

 

“You see...that’s a bit of a problem for me,  _ Orangey _ . I’m really likin’ it here…”

 

“I don’t  **care** . You agreed to terms and you’re gonna follow them.”

 

Orange wasn’t expecting Scamp to  _ growl _ . 

 

He wasn’t expecting Scamp to disappear.

 

He wasn’t expecting to feel a bony hand grab the front of his shirt and  _ yank _ him forward, or his skull to nearly hit Scamp’s.

 

He wasn’t expecting the dark threat hissed from Scamp that pinned him in place, keeping him from retaliating..

 

“I ain’t got  **time** for yer ‘all bark an’ no bite’ posturin’ act.” The snarl came out darkly, that blood-red light glancing over to the bed before returning to glare at Orange.. 

 

“Your level ain’t  **shit** . We both know it and you’re  _ annoyin’ _ me. So you either back  **o f f** a lil or I’m gonna get  **annoyed** .”

 

Orange felt the grip  _ tighten _ painfully and he winced.

 

“An’ I’m pretty sure you don’t want for ‘er to wake up to  _ another _ dead bitty. You understandin’ what I’m sayin’ here? Just calm your boney ass down an’ we’ll be cool.”

 

**_Though...killing the idiot sounded much more tempting._ **

 

Whatever defiance that he’d seen burning through those eyelights slowly started to fizzle away the tighter his grip became on the shirt. It was as if the other bitty was  _ finally _ understanding that all Scamp wanted was to be left alone and enjoy this new life. The amount of effort he’d been put into this plan just to get out of the store with  _ any _ sort of power in his body was a miracle, and now that he had the chance to flex his hypothetical muscles, a pecking order of sorts was about to be established.

 

Unless Orange decided to play this smart and cooperate.

 

There was the hope of retaliation, but that unwavering look of defeat was all he needed to see before loosening the tight hold on the other bitty, his mouth twitching erratically as he returned to his pillow.

 

**_This was_ ** **_his_ ** **_home now_ ** .   


* * *

 

 

 

If there was one thing Sam still had never gotten used to, it was just how  _ odd _ her sister could be sometimes.

 

Despite the odd moments of staring blankly at nothing, the lack of  _ any _ complaints, or how quietly she moved around the house, Zackery just seemed to still cause moments of surprise or stupor in her younger sibling.

 

So when said younger sibling had walked inside after a long day of work to find her sister on the couch and eating nachos - with a bitty on either side of her - there was no restraint in Sam’s voice when she’d tried speaking, only for a choked noise to leave her mouth when her jaw dropped in surprise. 

 

“Uh-wha??”

 

Zackery’s eyes didn’t leave the tv, but she did lift a hand to lazily greet her sister. Orange, grumpily, did the same.

 

And Scamp was too busy devouring a chip that practically  _ oozed _ cheese all over his lap.

 

“You really should quit that job, Sam. You sound exhausted.”

 

“Uhm??”

 

She couldn’t see the movement of Samantha’s hands motioning towards the cheese-covered bitty, but she could just  _ feel  _ it.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up when the movie is done.”

 

“Hwah??”

 

“It’s almost finished, okay? But it’s getting to the good part. Come sit with us.”

 

“Nyuh?!”

 

“You like this movie, don’t complain.”

 

“Uwah?!”

 

With each sentence, Sam’s insistent motions of trying to get Zackery to just focus over at the damaged-looking bitty failed, her responses getting less intelligible and more grunt-like to the point where she'd just given up in replying and did her best to rationalize the scene before her.

 

“Bitty???” She managed to get out. “From store? In HERE??!!??”

 

“Yeah, that tends to happen when you go to a bitty store.”

 

Which is where Zackery had hoped the exchange would stop.

 

She’d woken up in the middle of the night to Orange cuddling into her chest and grumbling; the startle was enough to keep her awake for some time while she idly ran her hand over the bitty’s back. He seemed to fall asleep just fine, but she couldn’t. For the rest of the night and into the hours of the morning she stayed awake until Sam left the house before deciding to finally get up before the alarm went off. Breakfast was needed alongside daily doses of supplements.

 

A lot of effort she wasn’t looking forward to.

 

There had also been a quick notice in a change of attitude whenever Orange or Scamp interacted; the taller bitty actually  _ tolerating _ having Scamp stand near him as she offered them their dosages. Even when the smaller bitty cracked a joke Orange was completely...passive. Bored maybe? Or just tired, as well?

 

She didn’t know, and she was also far too tired to question it as she shoveled cereal into her mouth.

 

“Zackery,  _ please _ you know what I mean!!”

 

And now she had to deal with her sister’s insistent tone.

 

“I do, and I don’t care right now.” She bit out in response, holding the bowl of food in Sam’s direction (much to Scamp’s displeasure when he wanted another chip). “So just eat with me and we can talk about it after the movie. I’m  _ tired _ .”

 

…

 

Hesitation…

 

…

 

And Zackery found the bowl pulled out of her hands, Orange moving to rest on her lap as Sam sat next to her.

 

Everything was going to be fine.

 

It was okay for her to relax for now.

 

…

 

Despite the blood-red eyelight she’d known had been staring at her all day still watched her, even now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These weeks went by so quickly with my growing work schedule x.x And I’ve already got this story planned out. It’s just a matter of getting there. Just wanting to let you know this story isn’t plotless, things will pick up soon I swear. And I hope you guys like it when everything gets revealed!
> 
> Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I recently started getting more hours at work and whenever I get home I just wanna sleep. But I finally got this done, I’ve got several other stories in the making, and I’m going to be trying to get a chapter out every week until this story is done~! It’ll be rough but I won’t start posting the other stories until this is finished.
> 
> Next chapter will start getting my plotline moving along~! HUEHUEHUEHUE I AM EXCITED.


	4. Remembrance and Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zackery is having a hard time paying attention. 
> 
> Scamp doesn’t seem to be as bad as Orange makes him out to be.
> 
> And now, there's a shift.

* * *

_  
“OH WOWIE! THAT’S A BEAUTIFUL BOX YOU’VE DECORATED!”_

_“I’m glad you think so. Are you going to open it?”_

_“....WHAT!!!!”_ _  
_

_“Yes! It’s for you!”_

_“OH MY GOD-”_

_“Go on, take it.”_

_“THIS IS THE GREATEST BOX I WILL EVER RECEIVE!”_

_“But the box isn’t-”_

_“HOW DID YOU KNOW I LOVED BOXES!?”_

_“Wait a second you have to open-”_

_“IT’S EVEN ORANGE! YOU’RE EVER SO THOUGHTFUL!”_

_“Hang on-”_

_“I SHALL CHERISH THIS BOX AND FILL IT WITH EVERYTHING I LOVE FOR...EVER…- ARE YOU CRYING?!?”_

_“N-no!”_

_“YOU ARE CRYING!”_   
_  
“No! You see nothing!”_

_“AND SMILING!”_  
  
_“Don’t be persistent!_  
  
_“TEARS OF JOY!”_  
_  
“S-stop trying to pull my camera away!”_

_“DON’T HIDE SUCH EMOTION! IT’S A WONDROUS THING TO BOTH CRY AND YET EXPERIENCE HAPPINESS!”_

_“Y-you’re making m-me cry_ **_m-more_ ** _!”_

_“I SHALL CRY WITH YOU!”_

_“P-PIPPAP YOU’RE N-NOT HELPING!”_

 

* * *

 

A snapping of fingers in her face pulled Zackery out of the daze she’d been in.

 

With a careful blink, she turned to look at her younger sister who’d impatiently huffed, taking a seat on the other side of the table. Once the movie had finished, she’d demanded an explanation to everything that had happened and why, of all reasoning, did another bitty get brought back to the house.

 

**_If it’d been any other bitty, she probably wouldn’t have made such a fuss._ **

 

It was tiresome and Zackery was already exhausted from no sleep.

 

“Please put Orange down and focus. We’re trying to have an important conversation.”

 

“But ‘m comfy.”

 

“Yeah, he’s comfy.”

 

“Can I be comfy, too?”

 

“Buzz off, Scamp. This is **my** spot.”

 

“That’s its name?”

 

“He. He’s a he. Yes, it’s his name.”  
  
“He also has a massive hole in his head from losin’ his mind.”

 

“Excuse me, it’s called a fashion statement.”

 

“Like your existence?”

 

“Aw, Orangey. You _wound_ me.”

 

“I’ll do more than that if you don’t **back off**.”

 

“Scamp, don’t poke Orange.”

 

“ _Zackery_!”

 

“Fine, fine….fine.”

 

With a long sigh and much to Orange’s dismay, Zackery placed the taller bitty on the table before leaning back in her chair, her arms stretched out in front of her lazily; if her sister was going to demand full attention, she was going to get it.

 

She didn’t miss the glare Orange gave Scamp, nor the careless shrug from the smaller bitty before they both moved to increase the amount of distance between each other.

 

“So how on _earth_ did you end up bringing...Scamp home?”

 

_And was Zackery willing to tell her the truth?_

 

Sam was hopeful, looking for an answer when Zackery hadn’t responded, despite waiting patiently for several minutes. There was no stress, unease or nervousness...only hesitation. That alone was enough to make her worry about what could have happened to make the older sibling take on the responsibility of another bitty.

 

How could she have even afforded it?

 

“They were going to put him down so I brought him home...Orange was a bit upset about it-”

 

“ **Understatement-** ”

 

“ **_but_ **-” Zackery interected, giving Orange a look of warning, “they’re learning to get along.”

 

“Orangey is lyin’, he _loves_ my company.”

 

If bitties could hiss, Sam knew that Orange would be having an absolute _fit_ right about now judging by the straightening of his shoulders and glare he’d fixed Scamp with; the other bitties only response was by moving to lean against the arm Zackery had resting on the table.

 

“It’s a work in progress.” The older sibling added quickly. “Look, it’s not that bad. We got the space, I got the time and can feed them both. Everything is peachy, Sam. Right, boys?” The exaggeration on that question gained the attention of both bitties; Scamp nodded eagerly while Orange scowled, only giving a single and slow nod in response. “It’s just going to take some time, that’s all. And if there are any problems we’ll work them out.”

 

Sam was _not_ happy with that answer.

 

Nor the fact that the bitties _obviously_ didn’t seem to get along.

 

However, she knew that Zackery (despite the insufficient answer) would never intentionally make decisions that would put anyone in danger. If the older sibling had deemed it safe enough to bring the bitty home, Sam was willing to accept it...for now.

 

At least until they both witnessed how the next few weeks would turn out.

 

“Alright. If you’re able to care for them properly and feed them I’ll trust your judgment and stay out of your business. But if there are any issues-” she waved her hand between Scamp and Orange, “he’s going back to Itty Bitty.” To make sure her older sibling understood how she felt about this, Sam quickly stood from her chair without another word or eye contact and moved for the fridge, thus showing that the conversation was over. The point came across clearly; Zackery awkwardly swallowed, attempting to get rid of the sudden dryness of her throat and stared at the table.

 

Zackery _knew_ her sister didn’t believe her, yet was confused by the lack of any further questioning. She was ready for a full-on interrogation…

 

The utmost trust in her was evident. And it did nothing but make her feel worse even though she hadn’t technically _lied_ despite omitting some very important details.

 

“Are you hungry, Zackery? I was going to make some breakfast.”

 

“We all are. Need any help?”

 

“I’m good. You should go pick another movie and I’ll join you in a bit.”

 

Though her sister had told her basically to leave, Zackery stayed, returning to her dazed state as she moved her stare to the window.

 

* * *

 

By the time the sisters and bitties had eaten their fill, the sun’s rays began to shine in through the windows.

 

Everyone was tired, but no one wanted to sleep.

 

Zackery chose to retire to her room, so she picked up the bitties and wandered away to leave her sister be. Once the bedroom door had shut, Sam felt the usual lonely silence of the house return once the dishes had been cleaned then put away. There wasn’t anything she could really _do_ ; work had ended, the house was already cleaned, any mess Scamp had made in the living room disappeared. Adding onto her predicament, Sam’s schedule said that she wouldn’t be needed again for a few days, meaning she’d be home most of the time.

 

By herself, mostly, since Zackery never interacted much unless the younger sibling sought her out and Sam was far too tired to bother her sister.

 

Most of her friends weren’t even awake yet but her boyfriend could most likely be at work...

 

Her boyfriend!!

 

Sam’s bleary and tired mind suddenly woke with vigor when the thought popped up.

 

Deciding that the best use of her time would be to catch up with him, the youngest busied herself with typing out a long string of text messages about the kind of week she’d gone through. The relationship between them had been quiet recently due to the extra hours taken on to save for a new bitty but she was excited to share the updates and (hopefully) get out of the house to spend quality time with her lover.

 

Thankfully he had been awake, so they exchanged texts for roughly an hour. Sam was completely engrossed in the topic about a lunch date to the point where she hadn’t heard her sister’s door open and then close, followed by the sound of tiny shoes scuffing on the kitchen floor.

 

“Got any chips layin’ ‘round?”

 

A half-scream escaped Sam’s mouth, slowly dying out into a startled whine when she’d turned to see the source sitting on the counter that she’d been leaning on in the kitchen.

 

Scamp’s eyelights flickered in amusement as he lifted a boney hand to half-wave, half-shrug at her. “Sorry. Zackery an’ Orangey are havin’ a chat an’ asked me to sit out here. Hope you don’t mind me askin’ for more food to make the wait less borin’.”

 

**_She definitely minded._ **

 

Trying to calm her raised heartbeat (and failing), Sam took in a quick breath of air and meant to respond in a calm manner. But her voice failed her, the word coming out in a tight squeak.

 

“How?”  
  
_  
How did he get onto the counter?_

 

And the bitty’s permanent toothy smile lifted up in an obvious (unnerving) smile. The clothing he wore had changed from when she’d last seen him being carried off by Zackery in that cheese-stained white shirt. Now he wore some black baggy sweatpants that looked frayed on the edges and an orange shirt that seemed a bit too tight for him.  
  
  
Seems her sister’s sewing skills still could use some work.

 

“I figured you’d hear me wanderin’ in here. Guess you were busy.”

 

“Zackery?”

 

“She’s talkin’ about something in Orangey’s file an’ fixin to make a call.”

 

“And...you?”

 

“Super hungry.”

 

She squinted at him slightly, her voice’s normal tone returning now that her rush of fear had subsided.

 

“Is it normal for your type to eat a lot? You’ve eaten an entire bowl of nachos, several eggs, a half package of bacon and 8 sausage links within the span of a few hours. Surely you can’t _still_ be hungry for being so...tiny?”  
  
  
“My type is _husky_ , an’ I don’t keep this figure eatin’ 3 meals a day.”  


She was doing her best to keep her suspicion intact; Orange had good reason to warn her about the little Sans-type bitty at the store and she took the words to heart. But there was just... _something_ in the bitty’s relaxed posture and even-toned speech that made her original uneasiness of him slowly start to wane as he replied. She hadn’t been expecting what he said, a small hint of a smile showing on her face as she set her phone down on the counter as she opened the fridge.

 

“Do you have any preferences?”

 

A small tapping of...something on something caught Sam’s attention; a quick glance over the fridge door showed that Scamp was tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Anythin’ that won’t take up too much of yer time. Saw you on the phone, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

 

That was oddly considerate for a bitty that had been disliked for scaring people (and possibly other bittys).

 

Perhaps he was trying to earn her trust before trying to scare her as well?

 

Her slight unease returned but not as intensely as before.

 

“Let me rephrase that. How much food do you need to not feel hungry for a while?”

 

That one eye-light flickered, his smile grew wider, then he fully faced her to give her a thumbs up.

 

“ _Everythin’._ But I’m really cravin’ s’more eggs. _Smothered_ in ketchup. And cheese! That stuff’s amazin’!”

 

 _Maybe Orange was just defensive or territorial?_ The thought echoed quietly while ingredients were gathered, Scamp plopping himself down on the edge of the counter while watching the process. It made sense, after all. Orange was _supposed_ to be the only bitty in the house in the beginning. Perhaps it’d made him jealous now that Scamp was now in the picture?

 

Sure did seem that way in Sam’s eyes. She knew that if it were her in Orange’s shoes, she’d feel somewhat threatened if an attachment to Zackery had already been made and another bitty was brought into the picture suddenly.

 

Especially one that was seen as a possible problem or...threat.

 

Sam paused her egg-scrambling for a few seconds after thinking about it some more, noticing that Scamp tilted his head curiously at her before she continued.

 

It reminded her of what she had experienced as a child when she’d first met Zackery, being from different mothers brought themselves together when their father disappeared and never came back (she’d always use to wonder why she had the blonder head of hair compared to her older sibling, whose hair was curly and black). Sam originally had been terribly jealous and defensive that maybe her mother would want Zackery more than her, but soon realized their mothers hated each other and their father...didn’t want either of them. Yet they were forced to get along and live together since their mothers only had each other, unable to go elsewhere.

 

Nothing but stress, hateful comments or jeers from either side, not really knowing what it was like to have a proper family growing up…it was a tough time for them when they were younger, which only seemed to get worse for Zackery when her mother had gotten killed driving drunk one weekend. Sam could only watch as her own mother felt obligated to care for the oldest when no one else wanted to take her in. Every bit of frustration had been taken out on her, and there was nothing Sam could do but watch.

 

Her sibling never wanted comfort. She never asked for anything. She wanted nothing to do with Sam or her mother, moving out the day she graduated from High School.

 

That was the last day Sam had heard from her for nearly 5 years.

 

“You okay? Look’in a bit distracted.”

 

But that was a long time ago, and Zackery or Sam don't hate each other to their mother’s extent...so hopefully Orange warmed up to Scamp and they got along well.

 

“Oh! Yeah, I uh...I’m fine. Just thinking.”

 

With a careful flip of the pan in her hand, the eggs easily flopped onto the plate. The steam felt pleasant on her hands as she finished them up with a near half-bottle of ketchup alongside a handful of shredded cheese. There was no doubt with the widened eye socket of Scamp that it was exactly what he’d wanted. The meal was then set next to him as he eagerly clambered up to accept it, easily distracted from any further conversation.

 

Sam was happy it shifted his focus, giving her a chance to pick her phone back up to continue the exchange with her boyfriend.

 

Hopefully the bitty wouldn’t make too much of a mess.

 

 _ **BB** : Pretty sure your sister is crazy taking in an HT custom. I heard those things are gnarly as fuck_  
_**S** : _Are there any consistent characteristics that I need to be worried about?  
_**BB** : Ability and personality-wise, they’re all different. The only thing they all have in common is 100% of their owners being Bitty Fighters and they’re overpriced as shit. Did I tell you I really wanted one for a while? Cause I did._  
_**S** : _All the time and I’m glad you didn’t get one, you rebel. But so far he doesn’t act aggressively. He’s actually...nice. Tame, even.  
_**BB** : He’s gone through B.C.S and actually made it through, so I’m not surprised. You know what level he is?_  
_**S** : _No, I didn’t ask. I was really worried but Zack seems to have everything under control so I didn’t pry. Did I do good?  
_**BB** : Of course you have! In fact you’ve been doing so amazingly well that I feel like some spoiling is in order. _  
_**S** : _Just you and me soon, please? No bittys.  
_**BB** : Aww fine. Azzy isn’t going to like that though. _  
_**S** : _He and Naran are going to have to deal with it or they can fight me.  
_**BB** : Don’t say that, they really will! _  
_**S** : _I’ll just fend them off with some really sloppy food. Actually no, that would just distract you and then we’d never leave the house.  
_**BB** :Aw babe, you know me too well. Does that mean I can meet the new bittys? _  
_**S** :_ If Zackery ever comes out of her lair, then yes.  
_**BB** : Sweet! I’ll pick you up at 7 tonight. Dress sexy, or else. _  
_**S** : _Wait tonight?  
_**BB** : Today’s all about you, babe. Be ready by 12, actually. We still gotta brunch. THEN we can do sexy dinner time. _

Sam couldn’t help but giggle before pulling her phone close to hug it. How long had it been since she got to see her sweet boyfriend’s face and hear his enthusiastic rants about everything he enjoyed doing in his spare time? Just the thought of being able to spend the afternoon _and_ evening was enough for the giddiness to settle in to the point where’d she had forgotten about the bitty now staring at her.

 

* * *

 

“If Chance or Manny had never said anything, would you have told me?”

 

The accusation and bite in Zackery’s voice expected.

 

The distrust was evident.

 

And Orange refused to look her in the eyes, instead choosing to shuffle a foot on the desk with a glare fixed onto the information in front of her.

 

It was damning evidence that he wished she didn’t ask for. He _knew_ something would happen and she’d find out eventually.

 

“Answer me before I make this call, or so help me. Why do these names match the ones on Scamp’s file?”

 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Orange replied angrily, nearly spitting the words at her. “It’s not fake. We had the same owners.”  
  
  
“At the same time?” 

  
“No.”

 

“Is that why you hate him? Or is there something else going on between you two that you’re not telling me?”

 

The glare was now directed at Zackery, which she matched with her own in terms of intensity. Nothing had prepared her for this at all; she recognized the deceased names immediately and all sorts of questions began to form...as well as some very large amounts of suspicion that made her chest tighten uncomfortably. What else had Orange been not wanting to tell her? The reasoning he’d given her originally made sense; he didn’t want to make things awkward or lose her trust...so he kept quiet.

 

But then she had to go asking for his file, which was the worst case scenario that he _hadn’t_ prepared for.

 

**_She’s ruined everything and he can only blame himself._ **

 

“Just call the store.” _and get it over with_ he grumbled internally, shoving his fisted hands into the pockets of his cyan hoodie.

 

Zackery didn’t like how defensive he was being, either. The moment she’d asked him a question, the bitty immediately changed into the hackled cat-like form she’d recognized when he’d seen Chance bring Scamp out to her the day she’d brought him home.

 

It did nothing for her nerves or the thoughts running through her mind. So she picked up her cell and dialed the number to Itty Bitty. She needed to confirm the information was correct, then she’d have to pay the B.C.S a visit in order to get any further information she could on Orange and Scamp.

 

“ _Thank you for choosing Itty Bitty! How can I help you, today?_ ”  
  
“Hi, My name is Zackery Porter. I’d like to speak to Manny, please. It’s urgent.”

 

There was a hushed sound when the woman on the other end moved the phone from her mouth before it was quickly returned.

 

“ _I’m sorry, Manny was fired recently. Is there something I can help you with, or maybe you’d like to speak to our new GM?_ ”

 

“Fired?” Orange asked, his glare softening when he’d raised a brow. Zackery ignored him.

 

“I need to speak to a GM. Please.”

 

“ _Alrighty, one moment!_ ”

 

A blast of music slammed into her ears, forcing out a wince while she pulled it away.

 

“Wonder what he did to get fired.” The bitty hummed thoughtfully, but he was ignored yet again. When he realized that Zackery wasn’t going to respond to him, Orange huffed in annoyance and proceeded to pace over the desk.

 

The music cut off not too much later followed by the shuffling of papers and

 

“ _Sorry for the wait. I’m David, the new GM. What can I do for you?_ ”  
  
  
“Yes, my name’s Zackery and I adopted a few bitties from that location. I’m just wondering if I could get some information confirmed?”

 

He spoke a few words, but they were too quiet for her to fully hear, so she brushed it off as him mumbling to himself.  
  
  
“ _Ah, yeah. The lady who adopted that Underswap Custom then ended up with a Horrortale as well?_ ”  
  
  
“Yes. I’d asked for copies of their files but I need more information since it appears they’ve both had the same owners before? Namely the ones that seem to have died while Sca- I mean the...HT Custom was in their care.”

 

“ _Uh-huh. One second._ ”

 

More shuffling of papers followed by the sound of something opening and closing before he pulled the phone back to his mouth.

 

“ _To be honest, it might be better if you came to speak with me in person at the store. Manny, the previous GM, was fired because he was doing some fishy stuff in the background and I’m seeing a note here on the HT’s file that he’s not even supposed to be adopted out into a family who already has another bitty. Were you informed that you also require a permit?_ ”

 

“Uh...no? I wasn’t even aware of his level.”

 

“ _Yeah uh...well I uh...dunno how to say this easily, but that’s highly illegal and if you got caught with him, you’d be in some real trouble._ ”

 

“...oh. I was afraid of that. Do I have to bring him back?”

 

“ _It’s highly likely. Bring him with you when you stop by and we’ll sort this out for you, alright?_ ”  
  
  
“Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you. When should I stop by?”  
 

“ _Uhhh...let’s see...if you want to come in today you should stop by in the morning. Any later than 10 I can’t do. But if you can’t make it then  I’ll be in all day tomorrow. Also please make sure to bring in the Underswap bitty. I’m going to have to ask him a few things._ ”

 

“I’ll stop by this morning. Again, thank you!”

 

“ _No problem, see you later._ ”

 

Zackery hadn’t known Manny was fired. She had, however, assumed as much about the permit.

 

But how would she feel about giving Scamp back to them? If anything, once she’d seem how much he loved the bed or ate the food she’d given he had seemed so...happy. As if the previous owners had deprived him of things that he got to enjoy now.

 

The thought made her feel bad for him, even if Orange didn’t like him.

 

“I’m going to need a shower and you both are going to need to be washed before we head out. I’ll be right back.”

 

* * *

  
  
_“PipPap what on earth…?”_

_“OH-HO! YOU ARE IMPRESSED WITH MY DECORATING, I SEE!”_

_“Is...is that toilet paper?”_

_“AN AMAZING ARTIST SUCH AS MYSELF DOES NOT REVEAL SECRETS!”_

_“How did you even reach that high? How do you even have the energy for this?”_  
_  
_ “MINOR DETAILS FOR THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS, MY FRIEND!”

 _“What’s the occasion?”_  
  
_“GAAASP!! YOU DON’T KNOW?? FOR SHAME!”_

 _“W-what? I don’t-”_  
  
_“TODAY IS THE DAY YOU RESCUED ME! EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO! HOW COULD YOU NOT REMEMBER THE BEAUTIFUL DAY! I AM HURT!”_  
_  
“....PipPap...that’s not today.”_

_“....”_

_“....”_

_“I WAS JUST PREPARING! A DAY EARLY MEANS I’LL NEVER BE LATE! SEE HOW GENIUS THAT IS? NYE-HEH-HE!”_  
  
_"...PipPap it's not for another month."_

_"...."_

_"...."_

_"I KNEW THAT. OF COURSE, I NEED TO MAKE SURE TO PREVIEW THE DECORATIONS! I ALSO GOT YOU A...PREVIEW GIFT, AS WELL! YOU MAY OPEN IT, YOU KNOW!"_

_"uh...b-but-"_  
  
_"NOW WE MAY WEAR ORANGE, TOGETHER!" WE HAVE TO MATCH, AFTER...ALL... WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND CRYING LATELY!"_

* * *

 

“You can’t make me.”

 

Zackery let out an exasperated sigh, her shoulders visibly deflating at Scamp’s response.

 

After a good shower and bathing them both, Orange and Scamp seemed to have sensed that something was up and immediately put on their ‘grouchy’ and ‘uncooperable’ attitudes. Scamp, currently, was inside the pocket of her jacket refusing to come out after the car ride. Orange had attempted to do the same thing but was promptly moved from her other pocket onto her shoulder as she walked into the store.

 

Once Scamp had heard one of the workers greet them, he became...fearful?

 

She couldn’t think of the word, but he’d swatted at her hand multiple times when she’d gone to grab him.

 

“Nah, I ain’t comin’ out!”

 

Curious staring from other people browsing items in the shop made her fairly nervous, the feeling continuing to grow with each passing moment as she was led towards the back office.

 

She paused once the door had opened before she could knock.

 

“Oh..uh. Zackery, right? I was just about to head out to an early lunch.”  
  
  
“Oh! Oh I’m...I’m so sorry my timing is so bad I should have called to confirm the time!”

Orange resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the man as he seemed to stumble over his own words in response to Zackery’s own stuttering.

 

“No, no. It was a last minute decision. Come on in.”

 

Another few awkward moments of them getting settled into their respective seats and the man reach out a hand to her, which she took. Before either of them could exchange pleasantries however, a growl came from Zackery’s pocket and he immediately pulled away. A quick glance confirmed that Scamp had peeked out of her pocket and fixed his eyelight on the man, watching him carefully.

 

“Don’t get _too_ touchy.”

 

One of Zackery’s hands quickly shoved him deeper into the pocket, earning a laugh from, who she assumed was, David. That didn’t stop her from apologizing multiple times to him about the behavior, which was only waved off with a smile and him leaning over the desk.

 

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, it’s just how he is. I actually used to be his handler at another store. To be honest, I’m quite surprised he’d even gotten adopted out despite the circumstances. Which, by the way, I’m terribly sorry for. Apparently, Manny had a few other things going on at this location that we’re still trying to clean up so I really appreciate you willing to come in.”

 

“It’s no problem, really! I’m thankful everything is getting sorted...hopefully, it’s not too much for me to ask exactly what he was doing?”

 

She returned his smile with her own.

 

David’s more care-free attitude towards the bitty was so refreshing to her! And even better, he’d _known_ Scamp before, so she could also use this as an opportunity to learn more about the bitty.

 

Sadly, Orange wasn’t thrilled when he’d seen David’s eyes wandered ever-so-slightly or how easily he seemed to ‘ _click_ ’ with his owner whenever they’d started speaking to each other.

 

“That kind of information I can’t really disclose formally...though if you’d be willing to, we could talk about it…over lunch?”

 

David could practically _feel_ the air change, becoming heavy when he’d heard Scamp growl lightly and Orange give him a very angry stare.

 

“I...I mean, no...shit. I’m sorry, it was just a joke!” But what surprised him was Zackery’s smile widening before she burst into a small fit of giggles, nodding in agreement much to Scamp’s annoyance.

 

“I’d love to, actually. This office just makes me super nervous and I swear I could hear your stomach rumbling. Some food and a different setting would be so nice.”

 

Orange _and_ Scamp were unhappy with the decision. Neither of them wanted to be in Itty Bitty, but even _worse_ was Zackery going _out_ with the manager for food when something important was needing to be taken care of!

 

The bitty in her pocket voiced his concerns loudly as David led the way, but she quickly shushed him.

 

She was going to enjoy this stress-free exchange, whether they liked it or not. Being trapped before in that very same office already had her cringing of the thought of it possibly happening again (despite her knowing it most likely wouldn’t); David’s offer was well-appreciated!

 

“It’s just lunch. Basically free food for you guys, so let me enjoy myself.”

 

Which appealed to Scamp... _slightly_.

 

Though Orange was upset so he made sure that it showed. He stood on the table of the restaurant and openly _glared_ when David so much as tried to fix Zackery with any sort of speech or eye-contact. Even when Zackery had jumped up to go fetch their order after the number had called out, he could hear Scamp’s growl come out before his own could when the man’s eyes wandered to follow her out of the booth.

 

“Don’t get any ideas. As if we’d let you, of all people, try anythin’ on with _her_.” Orange snapped, getting David’s attention.

 

An eery and unfriendly smile emerged onto the man’s face, those eyes practically _twinkling_ in defiance that put the taller bitty on edge.

 

“That’s really up to her, not you. Though how could I resist having a little fun? I’m curious with how she ended up with the both of you…” He motioned over to Scamp, who’d visibly stiffened. “And if I should do anything about it. You’re both my favorite helpers, after all.”

 

They both gave each other solid and empty stares, not responding to those words.

 

…

 

He responded to their silence with a laugh, returning his gaze to the woman who seemed to be struggling with getting napkins out of the dispenser.

 

“So let me have my fun, and I’ll let you stay with her. Simple as that.”

 

* * *

 

_FROM: xxxxxx_

_TO: xxxxx_  
_SUBJECT: xxxxx_  
  
_Itty Bitty_ _  
_ 548 Bitty St 

 _5 Customs  
_ _68 Generics_

_Monthly Restocks_

 

_Grim says they recently got new management and word going around is their handler is going to get switched out, too. We got someone on the side to confirm it’s clean, so get us another._

_Dan’s wired the first half of your payment. You get the other half once your second guy is confirmed and our supply is secured._

_Don’t fuck this up or you’re getting fed._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter originally ended up really dark and then I realized I just want a bit of happiness in there. So...that’s what this is. More happiness. 
> 
> Also a lot of speaking; enough to the point where it may seem like this chapter feels like nothing but speech, empty space, and breaks.
> 
> Lots of breaks.
> 
> And a bit of mystery. Because it needs to be introduced eventually. Master plans don’t wait, after all. 
> 
> ...
> 
> I think it's finally time to start picking up the pace. ;)
> 
> (Blech some of the spacing got messed up so if it looks weird it's because I was too lazy to fix it)


	5. Two-Faced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It looks like things are about to go downhill from here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert: things are definitely going downhill from here. I hope you’re ready~
> 
> P.S: After I posted the last chapter stating an update would be happening every 2 weeks, I got in trouble at work for using my breaks to write. So any free time I had for writing went out the window. Any free time I have at home is used for the growing amount of commissions I have to get sorted so I’m unable to write there as well...
> 
> That and added personal issues that have popped up only increased the time of waiting for updates, and I’m sorry for that.
> 
> Due to the gap between this chapter and the previous, there may be some inconsistency with how Orange and Scamp speak, as they both have their own way of talking. But it’ll be fixed at a later date. There also may be a noticeable quality change in this chapter, and I apologize for that.
> 
> Basically I’m sorry for everything weird that might be noticed in the writing and dialogue due to the gap between chapters x.x
> 
> Just know that I’m not abandoning this story, it’s just a lot of inconvenient timing in my life that prevents me from doing more consistent updates.

* * *

  
Scamp and Orange hated each other with a passion, but if there was one thing that could unite them despite their differences…  
  


**_it was this_ ** .  
  
  
The amount of flirting David had been trying to weasel into the conversation made Scamp want to rip all of those smiling, pearly teeth right out of the man’s jaw. Even worse, Zackery seemed to be  _ enjoying _ it, giving him those pleasant laughs at (what felt like)  _ every _ one of his trashy jokes. She’d even ignored Orange completely when he’d tried telling them it’d been nearly an hour since they’d left the Itty Bitty to grab food.

 

Scamp could see the taller bitty practically sulk when he’d realized that Zackery hadn’t intended on going anywhere just yet. It was a pitiful sight, seeing those shoulders droop.

 

**_And frankly, quite pathetic._ **

 

There was no way Zackery would have fallen so easily for the facade...right?

 

**_The answer is...yes._ **

 

“I didn’t realize being a handler was such a demanding job,” Zackery added into the conversation, idly sipping her drink. She was more than happy to accept David’s offer of paying for their meals, but became distracted with the conversation and chose to focus on the topic at hand rather than eat. “but I guess it makes sense. Generics form really tight attachments to people they interact with on a daily basis to the point where they can become very needy. At least in stores or adoption centers.”

 

“Exactly. It was stressful so I went through the process of getting a better job and ended up at the B.C.S.”

 

“Speaking of which, you’d said you were Scamp’s handler before?”   
  
  


“Oh  _ yeah _ -” David’s eyes all but sparkled gleefully as he glanced over to the smaller bitty, whose response was to only glower. “we go way back! Couldn’t believe that I’d been sent to the same store he was at and was quite surprised to hear he’d been adopted out. I figured he’d be happier to see me, though...”

 

“Still not happy, just sayin’.”

 

**_Because now someone knows he’s alive._ **

 

“And Orange!” The mentioned bitty’s shoulders sagged even farther, his hands clenching on the insides of his jacket pockets. 

  
_ Could David just shut  _ **_up_ ** __?  
  
  
“He was just a babybones when I first met him and got moved out with Ax-Scamp. He was such a cute little thing~ They both were so  __ helpful to each other and the staff back then.”

 

David’s cooing made both bitties cringe, Orange choosing to make himself scarce by climbing down the side of the table and onto Zackery’s lap. He was happy she’d moved one of her hands to steady him; the gesture was appreciated and he was really needing the inadvertent comfort. Not only had he’d been ignored but now he was watching his owner fall for the idiocy of a man he knew couldn’t be trusted. He remembered David too clearly, and anyone that put Scamp on edge to the point where his more relaxed nature was entirely  _ absent _ definitely was not trustworthy.

 

And that man was leaning closer to into Zackery’s personal space, which neither bitty appreciated.

 

This was stressing them both out and the man knew it. So he continued.

 

She seemed completely oblivious to it.

 

“And when you came in to replace Manny, was it  _ bad _ ?” 

 

“ _ Oh _ , let me tell you it was  _ really _ bad.” Was the solemn reply. “Bank deposits weren’t adding up correctly, stock was going missing, bitties were turning up unaccounted for after being adopted, and processes  _ during _ adoptions were skipped or not even properly logged. The store got hit by the B.C.S and was almost shut down, so they brought me in to straighten everything out to give the store a second chance.”

 

Zackery frowned. “That’s...a lot worse than I thought…”

 

“All of it was actually reported to us by an anonymous tipper…in fact, it was Scamp’s adoption they mentioned specifically when reporting to us. I was going to focus on that issue  _ first _ when I read through everything, but you had called us before we could call you.”

 

He chuckled. She smiled. Scamp rolled his eyes then moved to take Zackery’s burger from her, which she allowed. It didn’t get any sort of reaction he’d wanted out of her.

 

It was irritating.

 

“The whole process during Scamp’s adoption was...stressful, so I’d just asked for copies of any files then went straight home to relax and get everyone settled.”  _ even though I was still stressed at home _ she opted not to add at the end of her sentence. “I hadn’t even intended to call the store back, like, at all. But then I found consistencies in the files and...here we are. I hadn’t even known they were acquainted in some way.”

 

With a quick rub of her eyes to attempt getting rid of the sting of tiredness, Zackery, again, smiled at David despite Scamp’s irritated grumbling while he ate.

 

“They’re  _ more _ than acquainted. Scamp practically raised Orange from his bittybones stage and the two were almost inseparable until Orange got a few near-permanent homes without Scamp. After that, they went their separate ways, and that’s honestly the last I ever heard of them both.”

 

It was odd hearing this information, pausing her light stroking of Orange’s back. Given both of their attitudes, she’d assumed that Orange just didn’t  _ want _ Scamp around due to the circumstances of his adoption. But now it seemed as if they might have left on bad terms and, if anything, that’s what fueled their blatant dislike of each other. Which, to Zackery, also meant that there was a possibility that they could get along. They could live together and just be  _ happy _ in her home.

 

All three of them wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

 

Distracted by her own thoughts, Zackery missed when David’s hand slowly slinked over to rest on top of hers. It was meant to be a friendly gesture, something Scamp was having  **_none_ ** of. He angrily marched right over, earning a questioning look from Zackery as he  _ sat _ on their hands, his glower darkening further at David.

 

**_The man was purposefully ignoring the warnings he and Orange had given him._ **

 

**_He_ ** **_hated_ ** **_it._ **

 

**_He was getting a n n o y e d._ **

 

“If the store is in that big of a mess, shouldn’t you be headin’ back to  _ work _ ?”

 

**_Which also meant ‘keep your bloody hands off of her’._ **

 

“Ah...you’re right. Seems like we stayed out way longer than I intended…” David trailed off, pretending to be concerned with the amount of time passing before giving Zackery a wide smile.

 

Which she returned.

 

“Sorry to keep you out, let’s get back to the office and finish up.”

 

As they both stood, she carefully placed Orange back onto her shoulder before reaching over to pick Scamp up. The bitty refused to relax, keeping his glare pinned to David’s back as he growled out that he did  _ not _ want to be put back into the jacket pocket. He was going to sit in her hands, to which she sighed, not wanting to argue about the choice.

 

The walk back to the office seemed faster than it really was, which Zackery had been pleased with. She eagerly sat back down in the chair, feeling happier by the second, even when David brought out what looked to be Orange’s original file. If anything, she was looking  _ forward _ to going over the information with him; hopefully it’d pull the heavy loads of worry and distrust off of her shoulders so that she and the bitties could  _ finally  _ move on from this mess.

 

She just wanted to relax. Was that too much to ask?

 

“Alright. So to get started, first let’s get your questions answered. I’m assuming they’re about Orange and Scamp having the same owners?”

 

“You’d be assuming correctly. Due to the... _ nature _ of Scamp’s adoption and how it was handled, I figured it was a bit odd.”

 

“You weren’t told anything?”

 

“Only the legalities of him having been in homes where deaths occurred.”

 

“I see…”

 

For the first time since Zackery had met him, David frowned as he opened Orange’s file and sifted through the small number of pages. “In terms of  _ legalities _ , you should have been informed of their past with Orange, the deaths, the  **_level_ ** -” He emphasized the word strongly while flipping another page. “as well as the proper paperwork needed to adopt him in the first place. Orange also has information regarding deaths, but because of his level, you wouldn’t need to do anything other than take him home for a week and then bring him back for a check-in. Which, I see, you’ve already done.”

 

She nodded but remained silent so that he could continue.

 

“So, one thing at a time, we’ll address their pasts with each other instead and then we can move on with the adoptions. I told you before that Scamp, from what I remember, had been really close to Orange. They’d both come in from a Custom Fighting Ring...I’m sure you know what those are, right?”

 

Again, another nod. “Where people bring customs to level them up and test out or learn new abilities.”

 

He also nodded.

 

“They were gonna feed ‘im to me, considerin’ how weak an’ pathetic he was.” Scamp cut in, growling back at Orange when the taller bitty gave him a hateful scowl from Zackery’s shoulder. “His first owner handed ‘im over after being pushed into debt by  _ my _ owner, who had lent ‘im money that he ended up not bein’ able to pay back.”

 

Judging by David’s face, Scamp knew that the truth was  _ not _ what he had wanted to share. The bitty smugly leant himself into his owner more once he’d seen that familiar flash of annoyance quickly get hidden away behind those shining eyes. It was a small victory that Scamp would keep.

 

He was also happy to have Zackery’s attention back. "But he grew on me. Told my owner I wanted to keep ‘im an’ got thrown into fights he thought I wouldn’t win as punishment. But I did-”

 

“and in the process, injured many people and ate  _ many _ bitties.” David quickly added, but Zackery kept her gaze to the bitty sitting on her lap, who stared back up at her with that relaxed grin she recognized as content. “Yeah, that’s when we got sent to the B.C.S together. Ended up goin’ with me through that an’ ended up wantin’ to go his own way. Funnily enough, I ended up goin’ home with the families that didn’t want ‘im.”

 

They missed Orange’s glower darken into a hateful glare with each word Scamp spoke.

 

“It ruffled his feathers a bit and we left each other on bad terms.”

 

**_Not the entire truth, but she didn’t need to know that._ **

 

“So that’s what all of  _ that _ had been about when they asked if we’d take in Scamp? Just a badly ended relationship?” Zackery inquired, turning to Orange who’d quickly hid away the visible anger on his face. His posture still remained tight, however. She noticed his gaze fixed onto Scamp for a small second before it snapped back to her and he nodded. 

 

Very slowly.

 

“Yeah.”

 

For him, it was the hardest thing to say without a biting tone or sharp glare. That quick glance at Scamp was all he needed to know that if he didn’t lie, then  _ something _ unpleasant would definitely be happening when they returned home and Zackery went to bed. Whether David picked up on it as well, neither bitty cared, but the man was seemingly quieter and his smiles less frequent during the continuing conversation after Zackery let out a sigh.

 

**_Or maybe he was less than happy about his own plan to lie being stopped._ **

 

“Thank you for being  _ honest _ , Scamp.” He said, closing the file in front of him and folding his hands over it.

 

“I appreciate it from you both.” Zackery added, feeling a rumble from Scamp while Orange began to make himself more comfortable on her shoulder. Neither bitty said anything for a few moments, so David took it as a hint to continue on.

 

But rather than doing so, he took a moment to observe the woman and bitties in front of him, calculating his next move now that his original plan was derailed. He noticed how much more relaxed she seemed now; her exhausted posture now sank farther than before, her grip on Scamp now loosened, her happy (but sleep-deprived) eyes fixated on Scamp as the bitty returned with a lazy smile. Orange merely leaned against her, practically snuggling into her hair to make himself more comfortable. 

 

David could work with this. He’d  _ make _ it work.

 

So he put his charming smile back into place.

 

“With all of that finished, I’d like to speak to you about Scamp’s adoption. Legally speaking, you’re not supposed to have him  _ at all _ and if he were found in your care...well you probably already know how much trouble you’d be in.”

 

She didn’t return his smile as brightly, but it was the hint he needed.

 

The woman was definitely attached to Scamp despite the small amount of time he’d been in her care.

 

**_It was too easy, now._ **

 

“And legally speaking, I would have to take him from you. But...I’m a nice guy and you don’t seem like the kind of person who’d take advantage of his level. So if you give me the okay, I’ll get some paperwork started to set you up as one of our off-site fosters.”

 

“Off-site foster?”

 

He happily moved to open the drawer under his desk, bringing up a small handful of papers as well as a booklet labeled “Itty Bitty Foster Guide”. “Yes~ whenever bitties require more intensive or specialized needs, we place them in foster care outside of the store until our staff can give them the attention they need while waiting in-store to be adopted. Sometimes we also place bitties in foster care if we don’t have enough space. You’d basically be a temporary carer for them. If I get the paperwork set up now, you can still have Scamp in your care while also simultaneously working to adopt him. I’ll also set it up to where he won’t need to be returned to the store at all.”

 

“You...you can do that?” Zackery replied incredulously as he slid the booklet in her direction. “Oh gosh if you did  _ that _ then it’d be so amazing!”

 

In her excitement, she missed the darkening look from both bitties as David began organizing the forms he’d pulled out.

 

They both knew that this was a trap.

 

* * *

 

Two hours, a number exchange, too many smiles, and one car ride later Zackery collapsed onto her bed as soon as she’d gotten home and set her bitties on the desk. Any sort of energy she’d been running off was gone; the lack of sleep was finally catching up and there was no way to stop her eyes from closing or her mind from silencing anything if it didn’t have to do with sleep.

 

Scamp couldn’t find it in himself to be upset with her falling for David’s fake persona. All he could  _ currently _ feel was a mess; content that his owner was finally resting, anger that David knew he was alive, and a deep  _ smugness _ on his grin as he turned his single eyelight towards Orange.

 

“Well... a bit of a pickle we’re in, eh Orangey?”

 

“I have nothin’ to worry about. It’s  _ you _ who should be worried.”

 

“Never said I wasn’t.”

 

“And you dragged Zackery into it.”

 

“What can I say? I was  _ really _ wantin’ to be adopted with you...you know...for old time’s sake.”

 

An angry snarl made Scamp’s grin tightened and he felt his shirt being grabbed, his body now hanging in the air with Orange’s fist wrapped into the fabric of his shirt.

 

“I  _ knew _ you were plannin’ somethin’. You’re still workin’ for them, aren’t you?!” He snapped angrily, the lax attitude and uncaring posture of the other bitty adding to his irritation. “You’re  _ taggin’ _ her, right? Gonna kill her like you did the other owners I had! You jus’ couldn’t let it go, could you!”

 

Every word was laced with a bitter hatred, his voice becoming louder and louder with more accusations and horrible thoughts of what would happen now that they shared a home.

 

Orange was scared.

 

“Come on now,  _ Orangey _ . I was just lookin’ out for you at the time. But her? I  _ like _ her. She’s treatin’ us  _ both _ right, even when I don’t deserve it. Why would I want to ruin that?” Was the calm reply, though the seriousness behind the tone was evident. “Besides, I dumped that life after I made sure you were fine. You got nothin’ to worry about.”

 

“I don’t  _ believe _ you since you still followed me.”

 

“And I’m not  _ scared of you _ . Now put me down, or you’re gonna regret it.”

 

Oranged wanted to keep yelling at him. He wanted more answers, and he sure as hell  _ wanted _ to tell Scamp that he wouldn’t let go.

 

But the more rationalized his thoughts became, the more the anger started to drain from him, leaving his bones feeling exhausted. So he gently set the shorter bitty down, muttering a quiet apology as he did so. What surprised him was when Scamp grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie before he could pull away.

 

There was no anger on his face, only half-lidded eyes and a tired smile as that one blood-colored eyelight looked over towards the bed when Zackery made a noise in her sleep.

 

“Right now we can only hope that Grim doesn’t get involved. But when it comes down to it, I’m on her side. So you better get your shit together and decide if you are, as well.”

 

That knowing bite to Scamp’s tone set the taller bitty on  _ edge _ .

 

“Because at the end of it all, I won’t hesitate to eat you.”

 

Which Orange knew wasn’t an idle threat.

 

“...what do we do if Grim gets involved?”

 

The question drew in a deep sigh from the other bitty, those half-lidded sockets still fixated on his owner.

 

“Then you make the right decision.”

 

…

 

Orange recognized that sentence, remembering that he had asked Zackery to do the same thing if Scamp stepped out of line.

 

_ Would she still choose, though? _ He wondered to himself, slightly annoyed at the implication his mind made for him.

 

That Zackery was attached to Scamp and chances were if the other bitty did something  _ off _ that she would possibly brush it off or overlook it. Something Orange was hoping to  _ avoid _ .

 

“I can make that decision. But can she?”

 

Now, both bitties stared over at the woman who now let out a groan before tossing in her bed, inadvertently kicking off half her sheets in the process.

 

“No.”

 

“Then we’re  **_fucked_ ** .”

 

* * *

 

It was only a mere hour before the bitties became bored, both too stressed to also lay themselves down for sleep. For the potential threats that were hanging over their heads, Scamp decided it was best to distract themselves before the darker thoughts surfaced. It’d be better for both of them if they could find something to do.

 

_ But what? _ the smaller bitty mused to himself, relaxing back onto his pillow as Orange (annoyingly) started pacing on the desk.

 

“Knock it  **off** . You’re gonna wake her up, and that’ll jus’  **a n n o y** me.”

 

To which the taller bitty replied by pausing, fixing Scamp with a glare…

 

Then continued.

 

Orange let out a grunt when something hit the side of his ankle, causing him to fall forward with a loud  **THUD** onto the desk. He quickly snapped his mouth shut to avoid making any further noise as he threw a hateful glare in Scamp’s direction. 

 

An amused smirk was the response.

 

“Kindly fuck off.” Orange snapped while pushing himself up to stand again, only to nearly fall when something slammed into his back and  _ push _ down, pinning him. This time, rather than staying quiet, he let out a yell that had been directed at the now laughing HT custom, the laughter rising into howls as the weight lifted.

 

“T-the look on your  _ face _ -” he managed to get out between laughs. “lighten up, Orangey!” 

 

Scamp’s laughter died instantly when something thrown in his direction bounced in front of him, albeit a bit pathetically, and slowly rolled to a stop at his feet.

 

A tiny, rubbery ball sat in front of him, causing a raised brow before he looked up at Orange whose body was still angled in the position he’d used to throw in the first place.

 

So Scamp did the only logical thing, moving off of the comfort of his pillow...and kicked it…

 

Right into Orange’s chest.

 

Another howl of laughter came out at the sound of contact, Orange being thrown onto his back and sprawled out on the desk. He let out a huff of indignation and smartly decided to remain where he’d been defeated.

 

But it was at this point that the entertainment Scamp had found in the situation was cut short as he was roughly pulled up from the desk. It took every ounce of control to not lash out when he’d realized that the hand brought him up to an exhausted Zackery, flatly staring at him. 

 

He hadn’t even had a chance to apologize for waking her up when she plucked Orange up from the desk and began dragging her feet towards the bed…

 

flopping onto it with no care as to where the blankets or pillow ended up…

 

cradling Orange into her neck and Scamp into her chest…

 

and the smaller bitty was now fully content with waking her up in the first place.

 

So he comfortably snoozed, hoping that Orange was jealous.

 

Several hours had passed as all three of them slept, only rousing awake when Zackery’s phone began buzzing on her desk. The woman let out an irritated grumble, attempting to throw the nearest thing she could grab in the general direction of the offending sound…

 

Which had almost been Scamp, but thankfully ended up being a stray pillow next to him.

 

Her aim was flawless, the tiny pillow landing onto the desk and sliding with enough force to take the phone with it, both items dragging over and falling onto the floor with a sound that cut through the silence. 

 

Neither bitty wanted to get up, but Zackery needed to after she noticed sunlight streaming through her window.

 

If she had been the only one to get up, shower and prepare for the day, Scamp would have been happier. But once his owner finished, she then decided to rouse him and Orange so that they could take their supplements for the day and also get cleaned up.

 

Both complained, Scamp more, but no less than an hour later they were dragged out to the kitchen.

 

Breakfast was had, supplements were measured out and given, then all three of them settled into a rather comfortable silence.

 

And it was something Scamp enjoyed to the fullest.

 

_ Yeah…this is the kind of life I’ve been wanting _ the bitty mused to himself, watching Zackery poke Orange’s face as the other bitty lounged against her arm. 

 

_ I can definitely get used to this. _

 

* * *

 

“Knock knock.”

 

“ _ I don’t have time for jokes, asshole. What do you want? _ ”

 

“You’ll never guess what little bitty I managed to find, Grim. Remember your buddy Axe?”

 

“ _ You’re fucking lying. That spineless shit? _ ”

 

“Apparently he’s been adopted out  _ and  _ it seems like he’s actually  _ enjoying _ himself out there, too.”

 

“ _ That little… _ ”

 

“Want to meet his owner? I think your boy would like her. Weren’t you saying the other day he needed to get himself a friend or something?”

 

“ _ Pick a day. I’m busy at the moment. _ ”

 

“Oh,  has your new buddy said anything? Surprised you haven’t fed him, yet.”

 

“ _ If you don’t pick, I’ll do it and make sure it’s on the most inconvenient day possible, you fuck. _ ”   
  


“If he’s giving you a hard time I can get one of the others to give you a break.”

 

“ _ They’d just feed him and I need to know who he’s been giving our supply to. _ ”

 

“It’s not  _ my _ fault that Manny didn’t want to cooperate in the first place.”

 

“ _ It’s completely your fault because now I have to do your work, you worthless stain. _ ”

 

“See, this is why I like you! Always telling it how it is. Why can’t your boy be like that?”

 

“ _ I swear to whatever god you believe in that if you don’t pick a  _ **_fucking_ ** _ day I’m going to _ -”

 

“Okay, okay! Sorry to bring up touchy subjects. Does tomorrow morning work?”

 

“ _ Evening is better. _ ”

 

“Are you going, as well?”

 

“ _ Of course, you moron. Make sure Axe is there, understand? _ ”

 

“Loud and clear.”

 

“ _ If anything happens to the kid, it’s on you. _ ”

 

“Don’t worry, she’s practically harmless. He won’t have a problem.”

 

“ _I’m so done with your god damn idiocy you shitty_ ** _fuckwit_** _I wasn’t talking about the female you-_ ”

 

David let out a laugh when the other side of the call went dead after a long string of curses. Picking on his boss was always fun despite the constant murderous intent that could even be felt through the call.

 

With a hum, he began dialing another number and leaned back into his chair as far as it could go.

 

Thankfully it didn’t go to voicemail; he really needed to get things planned if he didn’t want to be fed by Grim.

 

“Hey, Zackery! You busy at the moment? I  _ really _ need to discuss some foster details with you about Scamp. Could you bring him by tomorrow afternoon? We can even get dinner afterward, my treat!”

 

He could  _ hear _ the smile on her face in her response before hanging up.

 

With one final task left to do for the day, David began heading towards work.

 

Chance’s replacement was supposed to be in, soon.


End file.
